thunderbolt: Hold a router reference for each allocated HopID
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: thunderbolt: Hold a router reference for each allocated HopID tb_stop() drops the reference to all DP tunnels but does not deactivate them, thus nothing cancels a dprx_work still in flight (which holds its own tunnel reference) and the tunnel can outlive tb_switch_remove(). The HopID releases in tb_path_free() then operate on freed IDAs and trigger warnings like ida_free called for id=8 which is not allocated. This can be triggered by unbinding the driver while a DP tunnel is still waiting for the DPRX capabilities read to finish. On the Apple NHI unplugging the cable runs into just that reliably because the read can never finish right now and because the unplug powers down the entire USB4 complex and removes the NHI device. Take a router reference whenever an input or output HopID is allocated and drop it again after the HopID is released. This keeps the ports and their HopID IDAs alive for as long as they are used. The KUnit tests allocate routers without ever registering their devices so initialize the embedded struct device there as well and drop its initial reference when the test is finished.
CVE-2026-98693
Primary source · Revision 1
Imported from structured advisory data. Source references identify upstream records or fields; verify affected versions and your deployed configuration.
Security context
Source reference: cve:CVE-2026-98693
Linux
Source reference: /containers/cna/affected/0/product
- Affected versions
- Not stated in this record
- Fixed versions
- Not stated in this record
- Prerequisites
- Not stated in this record
Linux
Source reference: /containers/cna/affected/1/product
- Affected versions
- Not stated in this record
- Fixed versions
- Not stated in this record
- Prerequisites
- Not stated in this record
Structured affected-version data
Original package identities and version rules from this source.
[
{
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"product": "Linux",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "d6d458d42e1e1544a18f37f1d5c840e00d5261b9",
"lessThan": "c444d2c17dc236680324fd989232199680a6c419",
"versionType": "git"
},
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "d6d458d42e1e1544a18f37f1d5c840e00d5261b9",
"lessThan": "2b5f976119d8f099a03cbf700df3d9c8690fe33d",
"versionType": "git"
},
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "d6d458d42e1e1544a18f37f1d5c840e00d5261b9",
"lessThan": "032c59c7681c661b63123231824170c025afb7e7",
"versionType": "git"
}
],
"programFiles": [
"drivers/thunderbolt/switch.c",
"drivers/thunderbolt/test.c"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected"
},
{
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"product": "Linux",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "6.14"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "0",
"lessThan": "6.14",
"versionType": "semver"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.18.56",
"versionType": "semver",
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.18.*"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "7.2.10",
"versionType": "semver",
"lessThanOrEqual": "7.2.*"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "7.3",
"versionType": "original_commit_for_fix",
"lessThanOrEqual": "*"
}
],
"programFiles": [
"drivers/thunderbolt/switch.c",
"drivers/thunderbolt/test.c"
],
"defaultStatus": "affected"
}
]- Related CVEs
- CVE-2026-98693
Source reference:
/cveMetadata/cveId
Publisher severity
No explicit severity was provided.
- Event
- #38693 · Revision 1
- Added to Heist Feed
- Publisher date