The Linux kernel’s QAT crypto driver fails to detach registered IRQ handlers when a probe error occurs. Instead, the MSI‑X vectors are freed while handlers remain attached, leaving residual /proc entries such as ‘qat0-bundle0’ and emitting remove_proc_entry warnings. This improper cleanup can leave the kernel in an unstable state and may allow a faulted driver to trigger a kernel panic or degrade system reliability; it matches a resource leakage issue (CWE‑459).

Any Linux kernel that includes the QAT crypto driver is potentially affected. No specific version range is provided, so all distributions shipping the kernel with the qat driver may be vulnerable until a kernel update containing the fix is applied.

The CVSS score of 5.5 and the EPSS score is not available, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. It is a local kernel‑level bug that is triggered when the driver attempts to initialize a QAT device and fails. An attacker with physical or privileged access to a QAT device could force a probe failure, causing orphaned IRQ handlers and possibly crashing the system, which represents a denial of service. Because the exploit requires driver load‑time conditions and hardware access, remote exploitation is unlikely, but once privilege is obtained the impact is high.