CVE-2026-23368 Vulnerability Analysis & Exploit Details

CVE-2026-23368
Vulnerability Scoring

Analysis In Progress
Analysis In Progress

Attack Complexity Details

  • Attack Complexity:
    Attack Complexity Analysis In Progress
  • Attack Vector:
    Attack Vector Under Analysis
  • Privileges Required: None
    No authentication is required for exploitation.
  • Scope:
    Impact is confined to the initially vulnerable component.
  • User Interaction: None
    No user interaction is necessary for exploitation.

CVE-2026-23368 Details

Status: Awaiting Analysis

Published on: 25 Mar 2026, 11:16 UTC

CVSS Release:

CVE-2026-23368 Vulnerability Summary

CVE-2026-23368: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: phy: register phy led_triggers during probe to avoid AB-BA deadlock There is an AB-BA deadlock when both LEDS_TRIGGER_NETDEV and LED_TRIGGER_PHY are enabled: [ 1362.049207] [<8054e4b8>] led_trigger_register+0x5c/0x1fc <-- Trying to get lock "triggers_list_lock" via down_write(&triggers_list_lock); [ 1362.054536] [<80662830>] phy_led_triggers_register+0xd0/0x234 [ 1362.060329] [<8065e200>] phy_attach_direct+0x33c/0x40c [ 1362.065489] [<80651fc4>] phylink_fwnode_phy_connect+0x15c/0x23c [ 1362.071480] [<8066ee18>] mtk_open+0x7c/0xba0 [ 1362.075849] [<806d714c>] __dev_open+0x280/0x2b0 [ 1362.080384] [<806d7668>] __dev_change_flags+0x244/0x24c [ 1362.085598] [<806d7698>] dev_change_flags+0x28/0x78 [ 1362.090528] [<807150e4>] dev_ioctl+0x4c0/0x654 <-- Hold lock "rtnl_mutex" by calling rtnl_lock(); [ 1362.094985] [<80694360>] sock_ioctl+0x2f4/0x4e0 [ 1362.099567] [<802e9c4c>] sys_ioctl+0x32c/0xd8c [ 1362.104022] [<80014504>] syscall_common+0x34/0x58 Here LED_TRIGGER_PHY is registering LED triggers during phy_attach while holding RTNL and then taking triggers_list_lock. [ 1362.191101] [<806c2640>] register_netdevice_notifier+0x60/0x168 <-- Trying to get lock "rtnl_mutex" via rtnl_lock(); [ 1362.197073] [<805504ac>] netdev_trig_activate+0x194/0x1e4 [ 1362.202490] [<8054e28c>] led_trigger_set+0x1d4/0x360 <-- Hold lock "triggers_list_lock" by down_read(&triggers_list_lock); [ 1362.207511] [<8054eb38>] led_trigger_write+0xd8/0x14c [ 1362.212566] [<80381d98>] sysfs_kf_bin_write+0x80/0xbc [ 1362.217688] [<8037fcd8>] kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x17c/0x28c [ 1362.223174] [<802cbd70>] vfs_write+0x21c/0x3c4 [ 1362.227712] [<802cc0c4>] ksys_write+0x78/0x12c [ 1362.232164] [<80014504>] syscall_common+0x34/0x58 Here LEDS_TRIGGER_NETDEV is being enabled on an LED. It first takes triggers_list_lock and then RTNL. A classical AB-BA deadlock. phy_led_triggers_registers() does not require the RTNL, it does not make any calls into the network stack which require protection. There is also no requirement the PHY has been attached to a MAC, the triggers only make use of phydev state. This allows the call to phy_led_triggers_registers() to be placed elsewhere. PHY probe() and release() don't hold RTNL, so solving the AB-BA deadlock.

Assessing the Risk of CVE-2026-23368

Access Complexity Graph

The exploitability of CVE-2026-23368 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).

Exploitability Analysis for CVE-2026-23368

No exploitability data is available for CVE-2026-23368.

Understanding AC and PR

A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.

Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.

Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.

CVSS Score Breakdown Chart

Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2026-23368, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.

CIA Impact Analysis

Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2026-23368, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.

  • Confidentiality: None
    CVE-2026-23368 does not compromise confidentiality.
  • Integrity: None
    CVE-2026-23368 does not impact data integrity.
  • Availability: None
    CVE-2026-23368 does not affect system availability.

CVE-2026-23368 References

External References

CWE Common Weakness Enumeration

Unknown

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