NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel - CVE-2026-98688
Published: October 22, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU157019
CSH Severity: Low
CVSS v4: 5.7 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-98688
CWE-ID: CWE-476
Exploitation vector: Local access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a local user to cause a denial of service through a kernel crash.
The vulnerability exists due to a race condition resulting in a null pointer dereference in the Linux kernel Thunderbolt subsystem when tb_remove_work() overlaps with tb_domain_remove(). A local user can potentially trigger this race to cause a kernel crash when tb_free_unplugged_xdomains() receives a NULL tb->root_switch pointer.
Affected software
Linux kernel
How to mitigate CVE-2026-98688
Install security update from vendor's repository.