What is CVE-2026-23017?

CVE-2026-23017 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, classified as a NULL Pointer Dereference flaw (CWE-476), affecting Linux kernel versions from 6.7 onward and patched in 6.18.6 and 6.19. CVE-2026-23017 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-23017?

CVE-2026-23017 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity. The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-23017?

Yes, CVE-2026-23017 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.18.6 and 6.19. If you are running Linux kernel 6.7 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

Is CVE-2026-23017 actively exploited?

CVE-2026-23017 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. See MITRE CWE for full details: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/476.html

CVE-2026-23017

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: idpf: fix error handling in the init_task on load If the init_task fails during a driver load, we end up without vports and netdevs, effectively failing the entire process. In that state a subsequent reset will result in a crash as the service task attempts to access uninitialized resources. Following trace is from an error in the init_task where the CREATE_VPORT (op 501) is rejected by the FW: [40922.763136] idpf 0000:83:00.0: Device HW Reset initiated [40924.449797] idpf 0000:83:00.0: Transaction failed (op 501) [40958.148190] idpf 0000:83:00.0: HW reset detected [40958.161202] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 00000000000000a8 ... [40958.168094] Workqueue: idpf-0000:83:00.0-vc_event idpf_vc_event_task [idpf] [40958.168865] RIP: 0010:idpf_vc_event_task+0x9b/0x350 [idpf] ... [40958.177932] Call Trace: [40958.178491] <TASK> [40958.179040] process_one_work+0x226/0x6d0 [40958.179609] worker_thread+0x19e/0x340 [40958.180158] ? __pfx_worker_thread+0x10/0x10 [40958.180702] kthread+0x10f/0x250 [40958.181238] ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 [40958.181774] ret_from_fork+0x251/0x2b0 [40958.182307] ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 [40958.182834] ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 [40958.183370] </TASK> Fix the error handling in the init_task to make sure the service and mailbox tasks are disabled if the error happens during load. These are started in idpf_vc_core_init(), which spawns the init_task and has no way of knowing if it failed. If the error happens on reset, following successful driver load, the tasks can still run, as that will allow the netdevs to attempt recovery through another reset. Stop the PTP callbacks either way as those will be restarted by the call to idpf_vc_core_init() during a successful reset.

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2026-01-31

Last modified 2026-03-25

CVSS version 3.1

Patch available

Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

5.5

out of 10

Medium

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

None

Availability

High

Vector string

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness type

CWE-476

CVE-2026-23017 is a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability

What is NULL Pointer Dereference?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. Learn more on MITRE CWE

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 6.7 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.18.6, 6.19 and their respective stable series.

Affected from

≥ 6.7

Fixed in

✓ 6.18.6 6.18.x ✓ 6.19

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2026-23017 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Kernel patch commit
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4d792219fe6f891b5b557a607ac8a0a14eda6e38
Patch
Kernel patch commit
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a514c374edcd33581cdcccf8faa7cc606a600319
Patch

Details

CVE ID CVE-2026-23017

Severity Medium

CVSS score 5.5 / 10

CVSS version 3.1

Published 2026-01-31

Modified 2026-03-25

KEV No

Patch

Yes

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-23017?

CVE-2026-23017 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as a NULL Pointer Dereference flaw (CWE-476) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.7 onward and has been patched in 6.18.6 and 6.19. CVE-2026-23017 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-23017?

CVE-2026-23017 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-23017?

Yes — CVE-2026-23017 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.18.6 and 6.19. If you are running Linux kernel 6.7 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
Is CVE-2026-23017 actively exploited?

No — CVE-2026-23017 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
What is NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. View CWE-476 on MITRE CWE →