SB20260720107 - NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel ethtool
Published: July 20, 2026
Security Bulletin ID
SB20260720107
CSH Severity
Low
Patch available
YES
Number of vulnerabilities
1
Exploitation vector
Local access
Highest impact
Denial of service
Breakdown by Severity
- Low
- Medium
- High
- Critical
Description
This security bulletin contains information about 1 vulnerability.
1) NULL pointer dereference (CVE-ID: CVE-2026-64120)
CWE-ID: CWE-476 - NULL Pointer Dereference
CVSSv4: 6.8 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
The vulnerability allows a local user to cause a denial of service.
The vulnerability exists due to a NULL pointer dereference in net/ethtool/phy.c when processing ethtool phy reply data after memory allocation failure. A local user can trigger memory allocation failures that leave string pointers NULL to cause a denial of service.
The issue can lead to a kernel panic when phy_reply_size() calls strlen() on a NULL name pointer.
Remediation
Install update from vendor's website.