Answer in brief
CVE-2026-98619 records a Unknown severity vulnerability in net: ethtool: keep rtnl_lock for the ioctl self test. 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.
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.
The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
| Package | Affected range | Fixed version |
|---|---|---|
| Linux/Linuxgeneric | 7.2 | Not reported |
| Linux/Linuxgeneric | >=f994752b11273ded7ec6b49ae5c1d319eef21743 <4ca1503491f1f25a954c13ac5775bf6775c5abc8 || >=f994752b11273ded7ec6b49ae5c1d319eef21743 <1b82958f3f035df5ccaab5430a2302f08a5d5351 | 4ca1503491f1f25a954c13ac5775bf6775c5abc8, 1b82958f3f035df5ccaab5430a2302f08a5d5351 |
Published upstream
Oct 18, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordSource modified
Oct 19, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:recordFirst seen by HOL
Oct 18, 2026
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ethtool: keep rtnl_lock for the ioctl self test An offline self test that brings the interface down and back up with netif_close() / netif_open() requires rtnl_lock for both. Since the ethtool IOCTL path became rtnl-optional for ops-locked drivers, the ETHTOOL_TEST ioctl runs holding only the netdev instance lock, so on an ops-locked driver the self test now tears the device down without rtnl_lock. With lockdep this reproduces deterministically on every offline self test on such a driver; note the sole lock held is the instance lock, not rtnl: WARNING: suspicious RCU usage net/core/netpoll.c:207 suspicious rcu_dereference_protected() usage! 1 lock held by ethtool/107: #0: (&dev->lock){+.+.}, at: dev_ethtool Call Trace: netpoll_poll_disable __dev_close_many netif_close_many netif_close fbnic_self_test dev_ethtool_locked dev_ethtool dev_ioctl sock_ioctl __x64_sys_ioctl Without lockdep the same condition trips ASSERT_RTNL() in __dev_close_many() / __dev_open(); that check only samples the global rtnl state, so it can be masked by a concurrent rtnl holder, but the device is still being reconfigured without the lock it requires. The ethtool self_test is a legacy ioctl-only command, so an ETHTOOL_TEST case is only needed on the ioctl path. Add an opt-in bit for drivers whose self test needs rtnl_lock and set it on the ops-locked drivers whose offline self test tears the interface down and up: - fbnic (ops-locked via queue_mgmt_ops): fbnic_self_test() offline path uses netif_close() / netif_open(). - bnxt (ops-locked via queue_mgmt_ops): bnxt_self_test() offline path goes through bnxt_close_nic() / bnxt_half_open_nic() / bnxt_half_close_nic() / bnxt_open_nic(), which close and reopen the device.
Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.