---
id: CVE-2026-98791
title: >-
  kernel: net/mlx5e: Fix AF_XDP TX timestamp teardown NULL dereference
  (CVE-2026-98791)
summary: >-
  A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Mellanox network driver (mlx5e). A
  local user can exploit this vulnerability to cause a denial of service (DoS)
  through a system crash. During the teardown of an AF_XDP (eXpress Data Path)
  transmit qu…
severity: medium
cvss: 4.4
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'
cvssSource: vendor
cwe: CWE-476
vendor: Red Hat
product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
affected:
  - enterprise_linux 10
  - enterprise_linux 6
  - enterprise_linux 9
  - openshift_container_platform 4
published: '2026-10-18'
updated: '2026-10-23'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-23T15:23:17+00:00'
source: CSAF
sourceUrl: 'https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98791.json'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98791.json
  - url: 'https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-98791'
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2555060'
  - url: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98791'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98791'
  - url: >-
      https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-98791.mbox
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fce70b6bf9f3261e887419a4e7caa25b80fa9d55'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f81d40e2eb69552334f510114f3e6edd0d43178b'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/63df0ef4c6e3105589e6bb2e758ce611b0ada86c'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7b97273cbebe9dd4fddc457f0c4f2a124d0e3996'
tags:
  - csaf
  - vex
  - red-hat
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00168
epssPercentile: 0.06032
ingestedAt: '2026-10-18T16:47:32.485Z'
---

## Overview

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Mellanox network driver (mlx5e). A local user can exploit this vulnerability to cause a denial of service (DoS) through a system crash. During the teardown of an AF_XDP (eXpress Data Path) transmit queue, outstanding descriptors requesting a transmit timestamp are completed without a completion queue entry, resulting in a NULL pointer dereference.

## Vendor advisories

- **Red Hat VEX** · Moderate · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · no fix planned: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · updated 2026-10-23 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98791.json)

**kernel: net/mlx5e: Fix AF_XDP TX timestamp teardown NULL dereference** — rated Moderate by Red Hat. Released 2026-10-18, updated 2026-10-23.

Affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

No fix planned:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

Not affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

## Remediation

Out of support scope