CVE-2026-98795: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: sparx5: skip ptp deinit if init was skipped sparx5_ptp

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: sparx5: skip ptp deinit if init was skipped sparx5_ptp_init() returns early on the ba

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: sparx5: skip ptp deinit if init was skipped sparx5_ptp_init() returns early on the base lan969x variants because they do not have the SPX5_FEATURE_PTP flag. It also returns early when no "ptp" interrupt is described. Unbinding the driver then causes a NULL pointer dereference when cleaning up uninitialized tx_skbs queues: Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000008 Call trace: skb_queue_purge_reason+0x68/0x120 (P) sparx5_ptp_deinit+0x64/0xc0 mchp_sparx5_remove+0x38/0x70 platform_remove+0x20/0x30 device_remove+0x4c/0x80 Before per-port tx_skbs were added, a NULL dereference would have happened when calling ptp_clock_unregister() on the never-registered PTP clocks. Fix by returning early in sparx5_ptp_deinit() if PTP is not used.

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.17%, higher than 5% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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