CVE-2026-23210 – A race condition in the Linux kernel's ice driv... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2026-23210?

CVE-2026-23210 has a CVSS score of N/A (Unknown). A race condition in the Linux kernel's ice driver causes a NULL pointer dereference when PTP (Precision Time Protocol) periodic work runs while VSI (Virtual Station Interface) is being rebuilt. This leads to kernel panic and system crash. Affects systems using Intel Ethernet Controller E800 Series with the ice driver.

📋 TL;DR

A race condition in the Linux kernel's ice driver causes a NULL pointer dereference when PTP (Precision Time Protocol) periodic work runs while VSI (Virtual Station Interface) is being rebuilt. This leads to kernel panic and system crash. Affects systems using Intel Ethernet Controller E800 Series with the ice driver.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with ice driver for Intel Ethernet Controller E800 Series

Versions: Linux kernel versions containing vulnerable ice driver code before fixes in commits 7565d4df66b6619b50dc36618d8b8f1787d77e19 and fc6f36eaaedcf4b81af6fe1a568f018ffd530660

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires ice driver with PTP support enabled and VSI rebuild operations (e.g., during network reconfiguration).

⚠️ Manual Verification Required

This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.

Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).

🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.

Recommended Actions:

Review the CVE details at NVD
Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Kernel panic leading to complete system crash and denial of service, requiring physical or remote reboot.

🟠

Likely Case

System crash during network interface reconfiguration or driver reset operations, causing temporary service disruption.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minor service interruption during maintenance windows when VSI rebuild occurs.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local system access or driver-level operations to trigger.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Can be triggered by legitimate administrative actions like network reconfiguration or driver updates.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires ability to trigger VSI rebuild operations, typically requiring privileged access. Race condition timing makes reliable exploitation challenging.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Linux kernel with commits 7565d4df66b6619b50dc36618d8b8f1787d77e19 and fc6f36eaaedcf4b81af6fe1a568f018ffd530660 applied

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7565d4df66b6619b50dc36618d8b8f1787d77e19

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. For distributions: Apply kernel security updates from your vendor. 3. Rebuild and reload ice driver module if using out-of-tree driver.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable PTP support

all

Disable Precision Time Protocol support in ice driver to prevent the race condition

modprobe -r ice
modprobe ice ptp=0

Avoid VSI rebuild operations

all

Minimize network interface reconfiguration operations that trigger VSI rebuild

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Monitor system logs for ice driver errors and prepare for potential crashes during network maintenance
Schedule network reconfiguration operations during maintenance windows with redundancy planning

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and if ice driver is loaded: lsmod | grep ice && uname -r

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel includes fix commits: git log --oneline | grep -E '7565d4df66b6619b50dc36618d8b8f1787d77e19|fc6f36eaaedcf4b81af6fe1a568f018ffd530660'

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

kernel NULL pointer dereference errors mentioning ice_ptp_update_cached_phctime
BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference with ice driver in call trace
PTP reset successful messages followed by crashes

Network Indicators:

Sudden loss of network connectivity on affected interfaces

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("NULL pointer dereference" AND "ice" OR "ice_ptp")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2026-23210

CVSS v3 Score: N/A (Unknown)

Published: February 14, 2026

Last Updated: February 18, 2026

🔗 References

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