What is CVE-2026-23197?

CVE-2026-23197 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 6.13 onward and patched in 6.18.10 and 6.19. CVE-2026-23197 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-23197?

CVE-2026-23197 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-2026-23197?

Yes, CVE-2026-23197 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.18.10 and 6.19. If you are running Linux kernel 6.13 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

Is CVE-2026-23197 actively exploited?

CVE-2026-23197 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-2026-23197

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: i2c: imx: preserve error state in block data length handler When a block read returns an invalid length, zero or >I2C_SMBUS_BLOCK_MAX, the length handler sets the state to IMX_I2C_STATE_FAILED. However, i2c_imx_master_isr() unconditionally overwrites this with IMX_I2C_STATE_READ_CONTINUE, causing an endless read loop that overruns buffers and crashes the system. Guard the state transition to preserve error states set by the length handler.

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2026-02-14

Last modified 2026-03-19

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-2026-23197 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 6.13 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.18.10, 6.19 and their respective stable series.

Affected from

≥ 6.13

Fixed in

✓ 6.18.10 6.18.x ✓ 6.19

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2026-23197 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/3f9b508b3eecc00a243edf320bd83834d6a9b482
Patch
Kernel patch commit
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b126097b0327437048bd045a0e4d273dea2910dd
Patch

Details

CVE ID CVE-2026-23197

Severity Medium

CVSS score 5.5 / 10

CVSS version 3.1

Published 2026-02-14

Modified 2026-03-19

KEV No

Patch

Yes

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-23197?

CVE-2026-23197 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 6.13 onward and has been patched in 6.18.10 and 6.19. CVE-2026-23197 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-23197?

CVE-2026-23197 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-2026-23197?

Yes — CVE-2026-23197 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.18.10 and 6.19. If you are running Linux kernel 6.13 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
Is CVE-2026-23197 actively exploited?

No — CVE-2026-23197 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 →