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CVE-2026-43173: linux kernel vulnerability
CVE-2026-43173: medium vulnerability affecting linux kernel. Check CVSS, KEV status, business impact and recommended administrator actions.
- CVSS
- 5.5 MEDIUM
- EPSS
- 2.34%
- Known exploited
- not in KEV
- Product
- linux kernel
What is known
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ethernet: xscale: Check for PTP support properly In ixp4xx_get_ts_info() ixp46x_ptp_find() is called unconditionally despite this feature only existing on ixp46x, leading to the following splat from tcpdump: root@OpenWrt:~# tcpdump -vv -X -i eth0 (...) Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 00000238 when read (...) Call trace: ptp_clock_index from ixp46x_ptp_find+0x1c/0x38 ixp46x_ptp_find from ixp4xx_get_ts_info+0x4c/0x64 ixp4xx_get_ts_info from __ethtool_get_ts_info+0x90/0x108 __ethtool_get_ts_info from __dev_ethtool+0xa00/0x2648 __dev_ethtool from dev_ethtool+0x160/0x234 dev_ethtool from dev_ioctl+0x2cc/0x460 dev_ioctl from sock_ioctl+0x1ec/0x524 sock_ioctl from sys_ioctl+0x51c/0xa94 sys_ioctl from ret_fast_syscall+0x0/0x44 (...) Segmentation fault Check for ixp46x in ixp46x_ptp_find() before trying to set up PTP to avoid this. To avoid altering the returned error code from ixp4xx_hwtstamp_set() which before this patch was -EOPNOTSUPP, we return -EOPNOTSUPP from ixp4xx_hwtstamp_set() if ixp46x_ptp_find() fails no matter the error code. The helper function ixp46x_ptp_find() helper returns -ENODEV.
Business impact
Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-43173, a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.5) affecting linux kernel, may affect the confidentiality, integrity or availability of the vulnerable environment. The exact impact depends on the installed version, exposed interfaces and deployment configuration.
Recommended administrator action
Confirm whether linux kernel is present and compare installed versions with the vendor advisory and NVD record. Apply the vendor patch or documented mitigation; until remediation is complete, reduce exposure of affected interfaces, review relevant logs and monitor for indicators of exploitation. DataHouse can support version verification, managed patching, network exposure reduction, log review and backup validation for dedicated, cloud and colocated environments.