CVE-2026-64120: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ethtool: fix NULL pointer dereference in phy_reply_size In phy_prepare_data(), several strings such as 'n
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net: ethtool: fix NULL pointer dereference in phy_reply_size
In phy_prepare_data(), several strings such as 'name', 'drvname',
'upstream_sfp_name', and 'downstream_sfp_name' are allocated using
kstrdup(). However, these allocations were not checked for failure.
If kstrdup() fails for 'name', it returns NULL while the function
continues. This leads to a kernel NULL pointer dereference and panic
later in phy_reply_size() when it unconditionally calls strlen() on
the NULL pointer.
While other strings like 'upstream_sfp_name' might be checked before
access in certain code paths, failing to handle these allocations
consistently can lead to incomplete data reporting or hidden bugs.
Fix this by adding proper NULL checks for all kstrdup() calls in
phy_prepare_data() and implement a centralized error handling path
using goto labels to ensure all previously allocated resources are
freed on failure.
Details
Original advisory: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64120
Exploitation outlook
EPSS (FIRST.org) estimates each CVE’s probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — here is the CSIRTS.com read on those numbers.
- Low exploitation riskCVE-2026-641200.17% 30-day exploitation probability — currently an unlikely target, but scores change as exploit code circulates. Riskier than 6% of all scored CVEs.
Referenced CVEs
| CVE | CSIRTS overview | External |
|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-64120 | coverage & exploitation status | NVD · CVE.org |
Same CVEs, other sources
How other CERTs, PSIRTs and databases cover the vulnerabilities in this advisory.
Recent advisories for In the Linux
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