CVE-2026-23041

CVE-2026-23041 is a security vulnerability that is still awaiting full analysis and scoring. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bnxt_en: Fix NULL pointer crash in bnxt_ptp_enable during error cleanup When bnxt_init_one() fails during initialization (e.g., bnxt_init_int_mode returns -ENODEV), the error path calls bnxt_free_hwrm_resources() which destroys the DMA pool and sets bp->hwrm_dma_pool to NULL. Subsequently, bnxt_ptp_clear() is called, which invokes ptp_clock_unregister(). Since commit a60fc3294a37 ("ptp: rework ptp_clock_unregister() to disable events"), ptp_clock_unregister() now calls ptp_disable_all_events(), which in turn invokes the driver's .enable() callback (bnxt_ptp_enable()) to disable PTP events before completing the unregistration. bnxt_ptp_enable() attempts to send HWRM commands via bnxt_ptp_cfg_pin() and bnxt_ptp_cfg_event(), both of which call hwrm_req_init(). This function tries to allocate from bp->hwrm_dma_pool, causing a NULL pointer dereference: bnxt_en 0000:01:00.0 (unnamed net_device) (uninitialized): bnxt_init_int_mode err: ffffffed KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000028-0x000000000000002f] Call Trace: __hwrm_req_init (drivers/net/ethernet/broadcom/bnxt/bnxt_hwrm.c:72) bnxt_ptp_enable (drivers/net/ethernet/broadcom/bnxt/bnxt_ptp.c:323 drivers/net/ethernet/broadcom/bnxt/bnxt_ptp.c:517) ptp_disable_all_events (drivers/ptp/ptp_chardev.c:66) ptp_clock_unregister (drivers/ptp/ptp_clock.c:518) bnxt_ptp_clear (drivers/net/ethernet/broadcom/bnxt/bnxt_ptp.c:1134) bnxt_init_one (drivers/net/ethernet/broadcom/bnxt/bnxt.c:16889) Lines are against commit f8f9c1f4d0c7 ("Linux 6.19-rc3") Fix this by clearing and unregistering ptp (bnxt_ptp_clear()) before freeing HWRM resources.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-23041?
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bnxt_en: Fix NULL pointer crash in bnxt_ptp_enable during error cleanup When bnxt_init_one() fails during initialization (e.g., bnxt_init_int_mode returns -ENODEV), the error path calls bnxt_free_hwrm_resources() which destroys the DMA pool and sets bp->hwrm_dma_pool to NULL. Subsequently, bnxt_ptp_clear() is called, which invokes ptp_clock_unregister(). Since commit a60fc3294a37 ("ptp: rework ptp_clock_unregister() to disable events"), ptp_clock_unregister() now calls ptp_disable_all_events(), which in turn invokes the driver's .enable() callback (bnxt_ptp_enable()) to disable PTP events before completing the unregistration. bnxt_ptp_enable() attempts to send HWRM commands via bnxt_ptp_cfg_pin() and bnxt_ptp_cfg_event(), both of which call hwrm_req_init(). This function tries to allocate from bp->hwrm_dma_pool, causing a NULL pointer dereference: bnxt_en 0000:01:00.0 (unnamed net_device) (uninitialized): bnxt_init_int_mode err: ffffffed KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000028-0x000000000000002f] Call Trace: __hwrm_req_init (drivers/net/ethernet/broadcom/bnxt/bnxt_hwrm.c:72) bnxt_ptp_enable (drivers/net/ethernet/broadcom/bnxt/bnxt_ptp.c:323 drivers/net/ethernet/broadcom/bnxt/bnxt_ptp.c:517) ptp_disable_all_events (drivers/ptp/ptp_chardev.c:66) ptp_clock_unregister (drivers/ptp/ptp_clock.c:518) bnxt_ptp_clear (drivers/net/ethernet/broadcom/bnxt/bnxt_ptp.c:1134) bnxt_init_one (drivers/net/ethernet/broadcom/bnxt/bnxt.c:16889) Lines are against commit f8f9c1f4d0c7 ("Linux 6.19-rc3") Fix this by clearing and unregistering ptp (bnxt_ptp_clear()) before freeing HWRM resources.
Is CVE-2026-23041 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (4th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2026-23041?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2026-23041 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2026-23041 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-5506.
When was CVE-2026-23041 published?
CVE-2026-23041 was published on 2026-02-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References