octeontx2-af: fix cn20k mailbox lifetime on repeated rvu_mbox_init() (CVE-2026-90079) | HOL Guard CVE

Unknown severity · Source severity not reportedCVE-2026-90079

octeontx2-af: fix cn20k mailbox lifetime on repeated rvu_mbox_init()

Answer in brief

CVE-2026-90079 records a Unknown severity vulnerability in octeontx2-af: fix cn20k mailbox lifetime on repeated rvu_mbox_init(). The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Analysis pending evidence review

HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.

Published Sep 17, 2026Updated Sep 17, 2026Source checked Sep 17, 2026First seen by HOL Sep 17, 2026Material review Sep 17, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: Unknown severitySource severity not reported
Exploitation: Not marked as known exploited
Affected software: 2 mapped packages or products
Fix availability: Available

Why this deserves its current priority

A CVSS score is not reported in the current record. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.

Analysis status

Analysis pending evidence review

Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.

Affected scope and exposure questions

The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
Linux/Linuxgeneric	>=e53ee4acb220acab6832669334279367b0206af6 <a0fcbea79f034f49bdd44915f28938922023458d \|\| >=e53ee4acb220acab6832669334279367b0206af6 <3b11a77f69980932c3924054d66e565c9a135747	a0fcbea79f034f49bdd44915f28938922023458d, 3b11a77f69980932c3924054d66e565c9a135747
Linux/Linuxgeneric	6.17	Not reported

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for Linux/Linux, Linux/Linux.
Review the reported fix. Update Linux/Linux to a0fcbea79f034f49bdd44915f28938922023458d if you use the affected versions. Test the change in a non-production environment first.

Evidence timeline and material changes

Published upstream
Sep 17, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
Source modified
Sep 17, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
First seen by HOL
Sep 17, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: octeontx2-af: fix cn20k mailbox lifetime on repeated rvu_mbox_init() rvu_mbox_init() is called separately for AF-PF mailboxes during probe and for AF-VF mailboxes when SR-IOV is enabled. Each call used to allocate a new ng_rvu object, leaking the first allocation when the pointer was overwritten on the second call. Sharing one ng_rvu across both paths exposed several teardown bugs: the error path freed all cn20k mailbox DMA and kfree()d ng_rvu even when only the failing init type should be unwound, leaving live AF-PF mailbox memory in use after an AF-VF init failure. mutex_init() was also re-run on the AF-VF path while AF-PF mailbox handlers could still hold rvu->mbox_lock. Probe and SR-IOV failure paths did not release cn20k mailbox DMA either, since cleanup only happened in rvu_remove(). Allocate ng_rvu once with devm_kzalloc(), initialize mbox_lock in the same block, unwind only the mailbox memory for the failing init type, and free cn20k mailbox DMA from the probe and pci_enable_sriov() error paths.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.