CVE-2026-97506: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: ixp4xx - fix buffer chain unwind on allocation failure chainup

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: ixp4xx - fix buffer chain unwind on allocation failure chainup_buffers() builds a

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: ixp4xx - fix buffer chain unwind on allocation failure chainup_buffers() builds a linked list of buffer descriptors for a scatterlist. If dma_pool_alloc() fails while constructing the list, the current code sets buf to NULL and later dereferences it unconditionally at the end of the function: buf->next = NULL; buf->phys_next = 0; This can lead to a null-pointer dereference on allocation failure. If the failure happens after part of the descriptor chain has already been allocated and DMA-mapped, the partially constructed chain also needs to be released. Fix this by terminating the partially constructed chain on allocation failure and letting the callers unwind it via their existing cleanup paths. Also fix ablk_perform() to preserve the hook pointers before checking for failure, so partially built chains can be freed correctly.

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 0.16%, 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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