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Linux Kernel EUVDEUVD-2026-86683

| CVE-2026-98030 HIGH
2026-09-25 Linux GHSA-hmh5-2wm8-hhp7
7.0
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: Linux
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Gain local unprivileged shell
  2. Delivery
    Wait for admin-installed CFP rules
  3. Exploit
    Call ETHTOOL_GRXCLSRLALL with undersized rule_cnt
  4. Execution
    Dump walk overruns buffer / NULL deref
  5. Impact
    Kernel out-of-bounds write and crash (DoS)

Vulnerability Assessment

Exploitation Conditions

Requires local access to a system running the Linux net/dsa bcm_sf2 driver, i.e. hardware with a Broadcom Starfighter2 integrated Ethernet switch (embedded/networking devices). Exploitation is only possible AFTER a privileged administrator (CAP_NET_ADMIN) has installed one or more CFP classification rules - the low-privileged attacker cannot create this precondition themselves. Given that state, any user can trigger it via the ETHTOOL_GRXCLSRLALL ethtool ioctl (which itself needs no CAP_NET_ADMIN) by passing a rule_cnt smaller than the number of installed rules (or 0 to force the NULL-pointer path). Limiting factors: local-only vector, requirement of pre-installed CFP rules, and Broadcom-SF2-specific hardware/driver - this does not affect generic or default Linux deployments.

Impact

This is a high-CVSS-but-modest-real-risk issue when the full signal set is weighed. The NVD CVSS 3.1 vector (7.0, AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) already constrains it to a LOCAL attacker with LOW privileges and HIGH attack complexity - not a remotely exploitable flaw. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public POC accompany this CVE, so there is no evidence of exploitation interest; SSVC would read as Exploitation:none, Automatable:no (a local ioctl race/precondition, not internet-scannable). The C:H/I:H claim in the NVD vector is questionable: the description characterizes this as an out-of-bounds WRITE off the end of a kernel allocation (and a NULL-pointer dereference when rule_cnt=0), which is a memory-corruption/DoS primitive, not a confidentiality leak - the 'Information Disclosure' tag is inconsistent with the actual bug class. The AC:H rating is well-justified because the vulnerable dump path only produces out-of-bounds behavior AFTER a privileged admin (CAP_NET_ADMIN) has already installed CFP rules on the Broadcom SF2 switch, a precondition the low-privileged attacker does not control. Net assessment: real but low priority - a locally-triggerable kernel crash/corruption on embedded Broadcom-switch hardware, not a widespread or urgently-exploited threat. Independent estimate is closer to ~5.0 (A:H dominant, C:N/I:L).

Exploit ScenarioDerived

On a device using the Broadcom Starfighter2 (bcm_sf2) DSA switch where an administrator has already installed CFP classification rules, a local low-privileged user issues an ETHTOOL_GRXCLSRLALL ioctl (which requires no CAP_NET_ADMIN) while deliberately passing a rule_cnt smaller than the number of installed rules. The kernel's bcm_sf2_cfp_rule_get_all() ignores that count and walks the entire cfp.unique bitmap into the undersized rule_locs[] buffer, writing past the allocation; a rule_cnt of 0 leaves the buffer pointer NULL and the walk dereferences it, crashing the kernel. No public exploit code exists at time of analysis.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 25, 2026

The Linux kernel's bcm_sf2 (Broadcom Starfighter2) DSA switch driver walks the entire CFP 'unique' rule bitmap into a caller-supplied rule_locs[] array without limiting the walk to nfc->rule_cnt, so a local, low-privileged user can read/write past the end of that allocation - or, with rule_cnt of 0, trigger a NULL-pointer dereference - simply by issuing the ETHTOOL_GRXCLSRLALL ethtool ioctl with a slot count smaller than the number of installed CFP rules. The ioctl itself requires no CAP_NET_ADMIN, but the bug is only reachable after a privileged administrator has installed at least one CFP classification rule, so it is confined to embedded or networking hardware that uses the Broadcom SF2 integrated switch and is not a risk on generic or default kernels; no public exploit has been identified at time of analysis. Our independent assessment scores it AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H (NVD publishes 7.0), reflecting a local attack path, a privileged precondition, impact dominated by availability, and only limited integrity exposure rather than the confidentiality/integrity compromise implied by the higher vendor score.

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor-released kernel patch: update to Linux 6.12.111, 6.18.53, 7.2.7 or later (or the 7.3-rc3 mainline tag / a kernel carrying the fix commits), or backport f1a2869b3629c0e8394b77b38cb9f19a018c653c, fd1a78c16b1f6978c09cf048e15f349732e4c707, b231b6d8516d3fe0d4bba549908e08d26a4531a5 and cdb719f4b8596d9ccee2d56d204c2c4dce982f46 from https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ as appropriate to the branch in use. Because the triggering ioctl needs no CAP_NET_ADMIN, privileges alone do not mitigate it; where patching is delayed on embedded/SF2 hardware, the most effective compensating control is to avoid installing CFP classification (unique) rules on the switch, since the flaw is unreachable until an administrator populates the bitmap - the trade-off is that CFP-based hardware filtering and offload features are disabled. Additional containment: restrict interactive logins and unprivileged local accounts on the affected appliance, and use seccomp/AppArmor or equivalent to block the ETHTOOL_GRXCLSRLALL ioctl (SIOCETHTOOL) for untrusted users, at the cost of breaking ethtool rule-enumeration tooling. No vendor patch is missing here - the fix is published - so these measures are temporary compensating controls only; consult https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98030 for the tracked advisory.

Affected VersionsENISA

Linux patch: 7.2.7
Linux patch: 7.3-rc3
Linux 7318166cacad158b46240f66250d7cc5a481653b <fd1a78c16b1f6978c09cf048e15f349732e4c707
Linux 7318166cacad158b46240f66250d7cc5a481653b <f1a2869b3629c0e8394b77b38cb9f19a018c653c
Linux patch: 0
Linux patch: 6.12.111
Linux 7318166cacad158b46240f66250d7cc5a481653b <cdb719f4b8596d9ccee2d56d204c2c4dce982f46
Linux 7318166cacad158b46240f66250d7cc5a481653b <b231b6d8516d3fe0d4bba549908e08d26a4531a5
Linux 4.11
Linux patch: 6.18.53

Affected Packages

euvd linux no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

bcm_sf2 is the DSA (Distributed Switch Architecture) driver for Broadcom's Starfighter2 integrated Ethernet switch, found on set-top boxes, routers, and other embedded networking platforms. Its CFP (Compact Field Processor) block supports user-installed classification rules, which the kernel tracks in the cfp.unique bitmap; these rules can be enumerated from userspace through the legacy ethtool ioctl ETHTOOL_GRXCLSRLALL, which returns rule locations into a buffer whose size is derived from the rule_cnt value the caller supplies. The vulnerable function bcm_sf2_cfp_rule_get_all() iterates the full cfp.unique bitmap into rule_locs[] without checking nfc->rule_cnt, so a caller who requests fewer slots than there are rules - or zero, leaving the buffer pointer NULL - causes the driver to write and read beyond the allocation. Because ETHTOOL_GRXCLSRLALL does not require CAP_NET_ADMIN, any local user who can open the relevant netdev can reach the code once an administrator has populated at least one CFP rule. CWE is not assigned in the supplied data, but the described behaviour maps to an out-of-bounds write/read (CWE-787/CWE-125 class) compounded by a NULL-pointer dereference (CWE-476). The affected code exists since Linux 4.11 (per the EUVD version data) and the affected CPE entries are linux:linux wildcards, i.e. any kernel shipping the unpatched driver.

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Severity by source

Vendor (Linux) PRIMARY 7.0 HIGH
AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 5.3 MEDIUM

Local ioctl (AV:L, PR:L), gated on admin having pre-installed CFP rules the attacker cannot control (AC:H); impact is OOB write/NULL-deref kernel crash (A:H, I:L) with no disclosure (C:N).

3.1 AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE 6.1 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
Red Hat 5.5 MEDIUM

Primary rating from Vendor (Linux).

CVSS VectorVendor: Linux

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

3
CVSS changed
Sep 25, 2026 - 15:22 NVD
7.0 (HIGH)
CVE Published
Sep 25, 2026 - 10:23 cve.org
HIGH 7.0
CVE Published
Sep 25, 2026 - 10:23 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)

DescriptionCVE.org

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net: dsa: bcm_sf2: bound the CFP rule dump by the caller's buffer size

bcm_sf2_cfp_rule_get_all() walks the whole cfp.unique bitmap into rule_locs[] without consulting nfc->rule_cnt, which is how many entries the caller had room for. ETHTOOL_GRXCLSRLALL requires no CAP_NET_ADMIN and the ioctl sizes the buffer from the rule_cnt userspace passes in, so once an admin has installed CFP rules any user can ask for fewer slots than there are rules and run off the end of the allocation. A rule_cnt of 0 leaves the buffer pointer NULL and the walk dereferences it.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A memory-safety flaw in the Linux kernel's Broadcom Starfighter2 (bcm_sf2) switch driver affects embedded and networking appliances built on Broadcom SF2 integrated switch silicon, allowing a local low-privileged user to read or write outside an allocated kernel buffer or crash the device once an administrator has configured switch classification rules. Because the vulnerable driver ships primarily in embedded/firmware-based network gear rather than standard enterprise servers, the exposure is narrow but concentrated in devices that are often difficult to patch and costly to take offline. Leadership should treat this as an operational availability risk for specific network hardware rather than a broad enterprise-wide emergency, and direct teams to inventory affected devices ahead of a vendor fix.

Business Impact: Medium
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis; interim mitigations are to remove or refrain from installing CFP classification rules (without at least one installed rule the flaw is not reachable), restrict local login and shell access on affected embedded/networking devices to trusted administrators, block or monitor use of the ETHTOOL_GRXCLSRLALL ioctl by unprivileged users, and alert on kernel oops or panic events that may indicate attempted triggering.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 98% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
Broadcom Starfighter2 DSA switch driver, niche embedded/networking hardware only
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
Medium

Priority Score

35
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +35
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Moderate
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 Affected

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