# CVE-2026-98486: net: ena: fix MMIO read buffer leak on probe failure

> A memory leak in the Linux kernel ENA network driver during probe failure can lead to resource exhaustion and denial of service.

- **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:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-109442, BELL-CVE-2026-98486, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98486, GHSA-vj8m-9pww-pf2j, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98486

## What is CVE-2026-98486?

CVE-2026-98486 is a memory corruption 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:

net: ena: fix MMIO read buffer leak on probe failure

ena_device_init() initializes the MMIO read mechanism with
ena_com_mmio_reg_read_request_init(), which allocates a coherent DMA
buffer for MMIO read responses.

The normal removal path releases this buffer through
ena_com_mmio_reg_read_request_destroy(). However, if ena_probe() fails
after ena_device_init() succeeds, the error path destroys the admin
resources and eventually frees ena_dev without destroying the MMIO read
request, leaving the coherent DMA buffer allocated.

Call ena_com_mmio_reg_read_request_destroy() in the probe error path
before releasing the remaining device resources.

This issue was found by manual code inspection.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98486?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-98486?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98486 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98486 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98486 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98486 is a memory corruption 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-2026-98486 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-2026-98486/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98486/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98486
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98486
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98486

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98486/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.