---
id: "CVE-2026-98630"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-98630"]
title: "Linux kernel fbnic driver: error cleanup can dereference a bad pointer"
severity: "unknown"
cvss: null
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "infrastructure"
products: []
ecosystems: []
tags: ["fbnic", "infrastructure", "kernel", "linux", "network-drivers"]
not_affected_if: ["fbnic-not-loaded"]
published_at: "2026-10-18T16:17:16+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-10-23T21:57:16+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-25T05:21:06+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98630", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-23T21:57:16+00:00"}]
---

# Linux kernel fbnic driver: error cleanup can dereference a bad pointer

When the fbnic network driver fails to allocate its payload page pool, the cleanup path passes an error pointer to page_pool_destroy() and leaves the header page pool allocated. The sources do not describe a way for an attacker to trigger it or what they could gain.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## How to check

- Check the running kernel version with `uname -r` and whether the fbnic driver is loaded with `lsmod | grep fbnic`
- unknown

## Fix

- Update the Linux kernel to a release that includes the upstream fix for this commit; the sources do not name a version
- unknown

## Timeline

- 2026-10-23T21:57:16+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98630

## From the sources

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

eth: fbnic: Fix payload page pool error cleanup

The payload page pool pointer contains an error pointer when its
allocation fails. The cleanup path passes that error pointer to
page_pool_destroy() instead of destroying the header page pool. This
can dereference the error pointer and leave the header page pool
allocated.

Destroy the header page pool instead.

---

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