What is CVE-2026-23165?

CVE-2026-23165 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, classified as a Improper Locking flaw (CWE-667), affecting Linux kernel versions from 6.17 onward and patched in 6.18.9 and 6.19. CVE-2026-23165 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-23165?

CVE-2026-23165 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-2026-23165?

Yes, CVE-2026-23165 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.18.9 and 6.19. If you are running Linux kernel 6.17 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

Is CVE-2026-23165 actively exploited?

CVE-2026-23165 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is Improper Locking (CWE-667)?

The product does not properly acquire or release a lock, which can lead to unexpected behaviour. See MITRE CWE for full details: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/667.html

CVE-2026-23165

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sfc: fix deadlock in RSS config read Since cited commit, core locks the net_device's rss_lock when handling ethtool -x command, so driver's implementation should not lock it again. Remove the latter.

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2026-02-14

Last modified 2026-03-18

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-667

CVE-2026-23165 is a Improper Locking vulnerability

What is Improper Locking?

The product does not properly acquire or release a lock, which can lead to unexpected behaviour. Learn more on MITRE CWE

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 6.17 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.18.9, 6.19 and their respective stable series.

Affected from

≥ 6.17

Fixed in

✓ 6.18.9 6.18.x ✓ 6.19

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2026-23165 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/590c8179ffb01c17644181408821b55b8704c50c
Patch
Kernel patch commit
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/944c614b0a7afa5b87612c3fb557b95a50ad654c
Patch

Details

CVE ID CVE-2026-23165

Severity Medium

CVSS score 5.5 / 10

CVSS version 3.1

Published 2026-02-14

Modified 2026-03-18

KEV No

Patch

Yes

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-23165?

CVE-2026-23165 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as an Improper Locking flaw (CWE-667) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.17 onward and has been patched in 6.18.9 and 6.19. CVE-2026-23165 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-23165?

CVE-2026-23165 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-2026-23165?

Yes — CVE-2026-23165 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.18.9 and 6.19. If you are running Linux kernel 6.17 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
Is CVE-2026-23165 actively exploited?

No — CVE-2026-23165 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
What is Improper Locking (CWE-667)?

The product does not properly acquire or release a lock, which can lead to unexpected behaviour. View CWE-667 on MITRE CWE →