{"id":"CVE-2026-99198","kind":"vulnerability","aliases":["CVE-2026-99198"],"related":[],"title":"Linux kernel: Actions Owl Ethernet driver crashes on probe with shaper enabled","description":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nnet: ethernet: actions: Move setting of netops to fix crash\n\nowl_emac_probe() calls owl_emac_phy_init(), which connects the PHY,\nbefore netdev->netdev_ops is assigned. phy_attach_direct() ->\nphy_link_topo_add_phy() reads dev->netdev_ops through\nnetdev_need_ops_lock() since the commit in question, so probing crashes\nwith a NULL pointer dereference when CONFIG_NET_SHAPER is enabled.\n\nAssign netdev_ops before the PHY attach, as was done for emac in commit\n7c9f391ec89c (\"net: emac: move setting of netops to fix crash\").","summary":"The Actions Semi Owl Ethernet driver in the Linux kernel assigns its network operations after connecting the PHY, so probing the device dereferences a NULL pointer when CONFIG_NET_SHAPER is enabled. The result is a kernel crash during driver probe, a denial of service on affected boards.","severity":"medium","cvss":null,"epss":null,"exploited":false,"exploited_at":null,"products":[],"ecosystems":[],"tags":["actions-semi-owl","embedded","infrastructure","linux-kernel"],"not_affected_if":["config-net-shaper-disabled","no-actions-owl-hardware"],"how_to_check":"- unknown","fix":"- Move to a kernel build that includes the upstream fix that assigns netdev_ops before the PHY attach in owl_emac_probe (the same change made for emac in commit 7c9f391ec89c). Check your distribution's kernel advisory for the fixed version.","status":"open","published_at":"2026-10-28T11:17:40+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-28T11:32:37+00:00","triaged_at":"2026-10-28T11:34:05+00:00","updated_at":"2026-10-28T11:34:05+00:00","category":"infrastructure","confidence":0.6,"triage":{"at":"2026-10-28T11:34:05Z","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","output":{"fix":"- Move to a kernel build that includes the upstream fix that assigns netdev_ops before the PHY attach in owl_emac_probe (the same change made for emac in commit 7c9f391ec89c). Check your distribution's kernel advisory for the fixed version.","reach":"local","title":"Linux kernel: Actions Owl Ethernet driver crashes on probe with shaper enabled","impact":"low","summary":"The Actions Semi Owl Ethernet driver in the Linux kernel assigns its network operations after connecting the PHY, so probing the device dereferences a NULL pointer when CONFIG_NET_SHAPER is enabled. The result is a kernel crash during driver probe, a denial of service on affected boards.","category":"infrastructure","nicknames":[],"who_cares":["linux-kernel","embedded","actions-semi-owl"],"confidence":0.6,"needs_auth":"no","worst_case":"kernel crash during driver probe, denial of service","analyst_note":"Check NVD and the kernel stable tree commit to confirm the fixed kernel versions and affected ranges.","how_to_check":"- unknown","needs_analyst":true,"not_affected_if":["no-actions-owl-hardware","config-net-shaper-disabled"],"who_is_affected":"Only systems running the Actions Semi Owl SoC Ethernet driver (owl-emac) with CONFIG_NET_SHAPER enabled, which is typically embedded boards based on that SoC. Servers, desktops and hosts using other NICs are not affected. Teams without that hardware can skip it.","user_interaction":"no","needs_special_setup":"yes","severity_if_unknown":"medium"},"cost_usd":0.000636,"input_tokens":3457,"output_tokens":581,"severity_before":"unknown"},"analyst_status":null,"analyst_note":null,"search":"'-2026':14A,17A '-99198':15A,18A '7c9f391ec89c':164C 'action':3A,20B,29B,88C 'actions-semi-owl':19B 'add':120C 'affect':74B 'assign':38B,113C,150C 'attach':115C,156C 'board':75B 'call':99C 'commit':133C,163C 'config':55B,145C 'connect':43B,105C 'crash':7A,65B,95C,138C,173C 'cve':13A,16A 'denial':70B 'derefer':50B,143C 'dev':123C 'devic':49B 'direct':116C 'done':159C 'driver':6A,33B,67B 'emac':97C,101C,161C,166C 'embed':23B 'enabl':12A,59B,149C 'ethernet':5A,32B,87C 'fix':94C,172C 'follow':81C 'infrastructur':24B 'init':103C 'kernel':2A,27B,37B,64B,79C 'link':118C 'linux':1A,26B,36B,78C 'linux-kernel':25B 'lock':130C 'move':89C,167C 'need':128C 'net':56B,86C,146C,165C 'netdev':109C,110C,124C,127C,151C 'netop':92C,170C 'network':40B 'null':52B,141C 'op':111C,125C,129C,152C 'oper':41B 'owl':4A,22B,31B,96C,100C 'phi':45B,102C,107C,114C,117C,121C,155C 'pointer':53B,142C 'probe':9A,47B,68B,98C,137C 'question':135C 'read':122C 'resolv':85C 'result':61B 'semi':21B,30B 'servic':72B 'set':90C,168C 'shaper':11A,57B,147C 'sinc':131C 'topo':119C 'vulner':82C","nicknames":[],"mitigations":[],"who_affected":"Only systems running the Actions Semi Owl SoC Ethernet driver (owl-emac) with CONFIG_NET_SHAPER enabled, which is typically embedded boards based on that SoC. Servers, desktops and hosts using other NICs are not affected. Teams without that hardware can skip it.","tier":"C","verified":{},"analyst_revisit_at":null,"first_public_at":"2026-10-28T11:17:40+00:00","kev":null,"cvss_vector":null,"cvss_by":null,"poc_count":0,"sources":[{"source":"nvd","external_id":"CVE-2026-99198","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-99198","severity":null,"published_at":"2026-10-28T11:17:40+00:00","modified_at":"2026-10-28T11:17:40+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-28T11:32:37+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-10-28T11:32:37+00:00","note":null}],"documents":[],"notice":"Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai"}