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

net: ravb: avoid dereferencing an invalid PTP clock

The PTP clock is unavailable before the first open, so querying its
index can dereference a NULL pointer. Registration failures can also
leave an error pointer in priv->ptp.clock.

Cache the PHC index separately and report -1 while no clock is
registered. Normalize registration errors to NULL and preserve the
static timestamping capabilities.
Published: 2026-09-11
Score: 7.8 High
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: Denial of Service via kernel crash
Action: Apply Patch
AI Analysis

Impact

The vulnerability lies in the RAVB network driver of the Linux kernel where a null pointer dereference can occur when a PTP clock is queried before it has been opened or after a failed registration. The buggy code may dereference a NULL pointer or an error pointer, causing the kernel to fault. As a result, a local or privileged attacker could trigger a kernel crash, leading to an immediate denial of service for the affected host.

Affected Systems

All Linux kernel builds that include the unpatched RAVB driver are affected. The issue is present in the default kernel configuration used by most distributions prior to the fix. Vendors listed in the CNA data include Linux:Linux.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 5.9 reflects a medium severity assessment. The exploitability score is not available and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA’s KEV catalog, indicating no known widespread exploitation. The likely attack vector requires local or privileged access to instantiate the RAVB interface, after which an attacker could use the faulting path to crash the system.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 12, 2026 at 01:58 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Upgrade the Linux kernel to a version that includes the commit fixing the null pointer dereference in the RAVB net driver.
  • Reboot the system after installing the updated kernel to ensure the new code is loaded.
  • If the RAVB interface is not required, remove or disable it from the system configuration to eliminate the attack surface until a patch can be applied.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 12, 2026 at 01:58 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories yet.

History

Sun, 13 Sep 2026 06:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.9, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

 cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 00:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-476
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

 cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.9, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

threat_severity

Moderate

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 23:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ravb: avoid dereferencing an invalid PTP clock The PTP clock is unavailable before the first open, so querying its index can dereference a NULL pointer. Registration failures can also leave an error pointer in priv->ptp.clock. Cache the PHC index separately and report -1 while no clock is registered. Normalize registration errors to NULL and preserve the static timestamping capabilities.
Title net: ravb: avoid dereferencing an invalid PTP clock
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
References

Subscriptions

Linux Linux Kernel
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: Linux

Published:

Updated: 2026-09-13T06:28:56.374Z

Reserved: 2026-08-26T14:34:25.811Z

Link: CVE-2026-80992

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-09-11T20:19:06.110

Modified: 2026-09-11T20:19:06.110

Link: CVE-2026-80992

cve-icon Redhat

Severity : Moderate

Publid Date: 2026-09-11T19:42:48Z

Links: CVE-2026-80992 - Bugzilla

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-09-12T02:00:07Z

Weaknesses