# CVE-2026-98480: nfc: trf7970a: power down on startup RX gain failure

> A resource leak in the Linux kernel NFC driver can cause a denial of service if hardware initialization fails, requiring a kernel patch.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 18 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-98480, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98480, GHSA-h99h-422h-66fh, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98480

## What is CVE-2026-98480?

CVE-2026-98480 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 18 Oct 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

nfc: trf7970a: power down on startup RX gain failure

trf7970a_startup() powers up the device before applying the optional RX
gain reduction. If the register read or write fails, it returns without
undoing that power-up. Probe's unwind only drops the separate regulator
references acquired by probe, leaving the additional VIN enable from
startup unbalanced. The system resume caller also has no power-down on
this error.

Call trf7970a_power_down() before returning the RX gain error to deassert
the enable GPIOs, release the startup VIN reference and restore the
powered-off state. Runtime PM has not been enabled yet, so the full
shutdown helper is not appropriate here. Preserve the original SPI error.

This issue was identified during our ongoing static-analysis research while
reviewing kernel code.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98480?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-98480?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98480 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98480 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98480 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98480 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 18 Oct 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98480 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98480/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98480/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98480
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98480
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98480

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98480/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.