All vulnerabilities
CVE-2026-98693

Linux: thunderbolt: Hold a router reference for each allocated HopID

Linux LinuxOperating systems
CVSS
NoneNot scored
ExploitationNo known exploitationNot in CISA KEV, which does not prove it is unexploitedCISA KEV
Exploit odds (EPSS)0.20%Chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 9% of CVEs. Scored 23 Oct 2026FIRST EPSS
Fixed in2b5f976119d8f099a03cbf700df3d9c8690fe33dAlso 032c59c7681c661b63123231824170c025afb7e7CVE List
Published18 Oct 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026CVE List

What fixes it

  • 2b5f976119d8f099a03cbf700df3d9c8690fe33dLinuxCVE List
  • 032c59c7681c661b63123231824170c025afb7e7LinuxCVE List

A fixed version on one release line is not the upgrade target for every line. Check your exact version and any vendor backports.

Description

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

thunderbolt: Hold a router reference for each allocated HopID

tb_stop() drops the reference to all DP tunnels but does not deactivate them, thus nothing cancels a dprx_work still in flight (which holds its own tunnel reference) and the tunnel can outlive tb_switch_remove(). The HopID releases in tb_path_free() then operate on freed IDAs and trigger warnings like

ida_free called for id=8 which is not allocated.

This can be triggered by unbinding the driver while a DP tunnel is still waiting for the DPRX capabilities read to finish. On the Apple NHI unplugging the cable runs into just that reliably because the read can never finish right now and because the unplug powers down the entire USB4 complex and removes the NHI device.

Take a router reference whenever an input or output HopID is allocated and drop it again after the HopID is released. This keeps the ports and their HopID IDAs alive for as long as they are used.

The KUnit tests allocate routers without ever registering their devices so initialize the embedded struct device there as well and drop its initial reference when the test is finished.

Text from CVE List

Affected versions 8

  • Linuxaffected: d6d458d42e1e1544a18f37f1d5c840e00d5261b9 before c444d2c17dc236680324fd989232199680a6c419CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: d6d458d42e1e1544a18f37f1d5c840e00d5261b9 before 2b5f976119d8f099a03cbf700df3d9c8690fe33dCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: d6d458d42e1e1544a18f37f1d5c840e00d5261b9 before 032c59c7681c661b63123231824170c025afb7e7CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 6.14CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: all versions before 6.14CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.18.56 through 6.18.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.2.10 through 7.2.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.3CVE List

References 3