CVE-2026-98747
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
serial: core: fix NULL pointer dereference in serial_core_unregister_port()
port->port_dev is NULL when no port device is installed: it is cleared on teardown, and never set if registration failed before serial_core_port_device_add(). serial_core_unregister_port() passes it straight to serial_core_get_ctrl_dev(), which dereferences it:
Return early when there is no port device, and read port->port_dev under port_mutex.
Also clear port->port_dev on the serial_core_register_port() error path, where the port device has already been removed.
Technical details traces, logs and code from the original report
KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000040-0x0000000000000047] RIP: serial_core_unregister_port Call Trace: serial8250_unregister_port serial8250_remove unbind_store
CVSS
NVD hasn't assigned a CVSS score to this CVE (common since the April 2026 policy change).
Exploitation probability (EPSS)
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
- 0.15 %
- Percentile among all scored CVEs
- 4
- Score date
- 10/20/2026
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST) estimates how likely a vulnerability is to be exploited in the wild within 30 days. It complements CVSS (impact) and CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
Affected technologies (1)
⚠ AI-inferred from the description — NVD hasn't analyzed this CVE yet, these aren't verified CPEs.
References
Raw JSON (NVD)
Show
{
"id": "CVE-2026-98747",
"cveTags": [],
"metrics": {},
"affected": [
{
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"affectedData": [
{
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"product": "Linux",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "84a9582fd203063cd4d301204971ff2cd8327f1a",
"lessThan": "54abbb862366dcaf1f22f1e968358147b7d0547d",
"versionType": "git"
},
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "84a9582fd203063cd4d301204971ff2cd8327f1a",
"lessThan": "499485a67fbacf4d9afbdb43522388c64f853428",
"versionType": "git"
}
],
"programFiles": [
"drivers/tty/serial/serial_core.c"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected"
},
{
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"product": "Linux",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "6.5"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "0",
"lessThan": "6.5",
"versionType": "semver"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "7.2.10",
"versionType": "semver",
"lessThanOrEqual": "7.2.*"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "7.3",
"versionType": "original_commit_for_fix",
"lessThanOrEqual": "*"
}
],
"programFiles": [
"drivers/tty/serial/serial_core.c"
],
"defaultStatus": "affected"
}
]
}
],
"published": "2026-10-18T16:17:28.460",
"references": [
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/499485a67fbacf4d9afbdb43522388c64f853428",
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
},
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/54abbb862366dcaf1f22f1e968358147b7d0547d",
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
}
],
"vulnStatus": "Received",
"descriptions": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nserial: core: fix NULL pointer dereference in serial_core_unregister_port()\n\nport->port_dev is NULL when no port device is installed: it is cleared\non teardown, and never set if registration failed before\nserial_core_port_device_add(). serial_core_unregister_port() passes it\nstraight to serial_core_get_ctrl_dev(), which dereferences it:\n\n KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000040-0x0000000000000047]\n RIP: serial_core_unregister_port\n Call Trace:\n serial8250_unregister_port\n serial8250_remove\n unbind_store\n\nReturn early when there is no port device, and read port->port_dev\nunder port_mutex.\n\nAlso clear port->port_dev on the serial_core_register_port() error\npath, where the port device has already been removed."
}
],
"lastModified": "2026-10-19T10:19:38.883",
"sourceIdentifier": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
}