CVE-2026-98121 - Vulnerability Details

- watchdog: msc313e: Fix NULL pointer dereference in PM callbacks

Description

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

watchdog: msc313e: Fix NULL pointer dereference in PM callbacks

msc313e_wdt_probe() doesn't set the driver data for the platform device.
As a result, dev_get_drvdata() in msc313e_wdt_suspend() and
msc313e_wdt_resume() will return NULL, leading to a NULL pointer
dereference afterward.

Set the platform device driver data in msc313e_wdt_probe().

Published: 2026-09-25

Score: 5.5 Medium

EPSS: < 1% Very Low

KEV: No

Impact:

Action:

Analysis

Impact

In the Linux kernel, the msc313e watchdog driver contains a null pointer dereference in power‑management callbacks because the probe function fails to set driver data for the platform device. When suspend or resume triggers, dev_get_drvdata returns NULL, leading to a crash. This null pointer dereference (CWE‑476) results in a kernel panic, causing a denial of service.

Affected Systems

Any Linux kernel build that includes the MSC313E watchdog driver is affected, regardless of version. The vendor is the Linux kernel project, and the flaw exists in the kernel's watchdog subsystem where the driver is compiled in.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 5.5 indicates moderate severity. EPSS is below 1%, and the flaw is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. Exploitation would require local or privileged access that can trigger suspend/resume. This attack vector is inferred from the description; the exact method is not explicitly stated. Successful exploitation results in a kernel crash and temporary denial of service to the affected node, but does not provide remote code execution.

Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).

Vendor Product Default status Versions

Linux

unaffected

Version	Status	Constraints
`e9800b7994642a794afd4894f072541c14277ce8`	affected	< 960251cc4a413d8f1eef2a2c6aca41073b57ce16
`e9800b7994642a794afd4894f072541c14277ce8`	affected	< afc3ea51e479289a23c642cc8bade67b94225ed9
`e9800b7994642a794afd4894f072541c14277ce8`	affected	< a135415be56839e555e0bcdd5ffb8d2f5f947bd7
`e9800b7994642a794afd4894f072541c14277ce8`	affected	< b02f902fe4b59d65f74a25c4523a75453bd3f808
`e9800b7994642a794afd4894f072541c14277ce8`	affected	< 744b25040d8206f7925b8ba0be5edf93fa4bf81e
`e9800b7994642a794afd4894f072541c14277ce8`	affected	< 6495dc16e635356fd2b7535dcbf9b6779de4e753
`e9800b7994642a794afd4894f072541c14277ce8`	affected	< e3eceb76515910746e6268c4e4ac1c07516ebd7b

Linux

affected

Version	Status	Constraints
`5.14`	affected	—
`0`	unaffected	< 5.14
`5.15.222`	unaffected	≤ 5.15.*
`6.1.189`	unaffected	≤ 6.1.*
`6.6.158`	unaffected	≤ 6.6.*
`6.12.111`	unaffected	≤ 6.12.*
`6.18.53`	unaffected	≤ 6.18.*
`7.2.7`	unaffected	≤ 7.2.*
`7.3`	unaffected	≤ *

Configuration 1 [-]

OR	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel::::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel::::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel::::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel::::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel::::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel::::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.3:rc1::::::
	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.3:rc2::::::

No data.

Vendor Product Confidence Versions

Linux

Linux Kernel

99%

Version	Status	Scheme	Platform
`[e9800b7994642a794afd4894f072541c14277ce8,b02f902fe4b59d65f74a25c4523a75453bd3f808)`	affected	code_commit	—
`[e9800b7994642a794afd4894f072541c14277ce8,744b25040d8206f7925b8ba0be5edf93fa4bf81e)`	affected	code_commit	—
`[e9800b7994642a794afd4894f072541c14277ce8,6495dc16e635356fd2b7535dcbf9b6779de4e753)`	affected	code_commit	—
`[e9800b7994642a794afd4894f072541c14277ce8,e3eceb76515910746e6268c4e4ac1c07516ebd7b)`	affected	code_commit	—

Linux

Linux Kernel

99%

Version	Status	Scheme	Platform
`5.14`	affected	generic	—
`[0,5.14)`	unaffected	generic	—
`[0,6.13.0)`	unaffected	semver	—
`[0,6.19.0)`	unaffected	semver	—
`[0,7.3.0)`	unaffected	semver	—
`[0,*]`	unaffected	generic	—

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Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

Update the operating system to a kernel version that contains the patch for the MSC313E watchdog driver.
If an immediate kernel upgrade is not possible, configure the kernel to disable the MSC313E watchdog driver or unload it if it is a module.
Configuring the system to prevent automatic suspend/resume transitions that would call the driver’s callbacks can mitigate the risk until a patch is applied.
Continuously monitor system logs for kernel panic or Oops messages, and apply kernel updates promptly.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 30, 2026 at 05:46 UTC.

Tracking

Sign in to view the affected projects.

Advisories

Source	ID	Title
Debian DLA	DLA-4817-1	linux-6.12 security update
Debian DLA	DLA-4841-1	linux security update
Debian DSA	DSA-6528-1	linux security update

No CVSS v4.0

Attack Vector Local

Attack Complexity Low

Privileges Required Low

Scope Unchanged

Confidentiality Impact None

Integrity Impact None

Availability Impact High

User Interaction None

No CVSS v3.0

No CVSS v2

This CVE is not in the KEV list.

The EPSS score is 0.00172.

Key SSVC decision points have not yet been added.

References

Link	Providers
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-98121.mbox
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6495dc16e635356fd2b7535dcbf9b6779de4e753
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/744b25040d8206f7925b8ba0be5edf93fa4bf81e
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/960251cc4a413d8f1eef2a2c6aca41073b57ce16
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a135415be56839e555e0bcdd5ffb8d2f5f947bd7
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/afc3ea51e479289a23c642cc8bade67b94225ed9
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b02f902fe4b59d65f74a25c4523a75453bd3f808
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e3eceb76515910746e6268c4e4ac1c07516ebd7b
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98121
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98121

History

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 17:30:00 +0000

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
CPEs		cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.3:rc1:::::: cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.3:rc2::::::

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 11:15:00 +0000

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
References		https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/960251cc4a413d8f1eef2a2c6aca41073b57ce16 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a135415be56839e555e0bcdd5ffb8d2f5f947bd7 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/afc3ea51e479289a23c642cc8bade67b94225ed9

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 13:15:00 +0000

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
References		https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-98121.mbox https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98121 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98121
Metrics	threat_severity `None`	cvssV3_1 `{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}` threat_severity `Moderate`

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:45:00 +0000

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
Weaknesses		CWE-476

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 10:45:00 +0000

Type	Values Removed	Values Added
Description		In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: watchdog: msc313e: Fix NULL pointer dereference in PM callbacks msc313e_wdt_probe() doesn't set the driver data for the platform device. As a result, dev_get_drvdata() in msc313e_wdt_suspend() and msc313e_wdt_resume() will return NULL, leading to a NULL pointer dereference afterward. Set the platform device driver data in msc313e_wdt_probe().
Title		watchdog: msc313e: Fix NULL pointer dereference in PM callbacks
First Time appeared		Linux Linux linux Kernel
CPEs		cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel::::::::
Vendors & Products		Linux Linux linux Kernel
References		https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6495dc16e635356fd2b7535dcbf9b6779de4e753 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/744b25040d8206f7925b8ba0be5edf93fa4bf81e https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b02f902fe4b59d65f74a25c4523a75453bd3f808 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e3eceb76515910746e6268c4e4ac1c07516ebd7b

Subscriptions

Linux Linux Kernel

MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: Linux

Published: 2026-09-25T10:36:04.765Z

Updated: 2026-10-19T09:14:13.333Z

Reserved: 2026-09-25T10:25:14.318Z

Link: CVE-2026-98121

Vulnrichment

No data.

NVD

Status : Analyzed

Published: 2026-09-25T11:17:43.360

Modified: 2026-10-22T17:23:28.030

Link: CVE-2026-98121

Redhat

Severity : Moderate

Publid Date: 2026-09-25T00:00:00Z

Links: CVE-2026-98121 - Bugzilla

OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-09-30T06:00:12Z

Weaknesses

CWE-476
NULL Pointer Dereference

Impact

Affected Systems

Risk and Exploitability

Tracking

Attack Vector Local

Attack Complexity Low

Privileges Required Low

Scope Unchanged

Confidentiality Impact None

Integrity Impact None

Availability Impact High

User Interaction None

Subscriptions

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