CVE-2026-98399: s390/ipl: Fix NULL deref in dump_reipl without re-IPL parm block

Severity: unknown
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-10-14 · updated 2026-10-19

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: s390/ipl: Fix NULL deref in dump_reipl without re-IPL parm block Unlike kdump, which passes the re-IPL parameter block through os_info, the stand-alone dump passes it through the IPL parm block address and checksum in lowcore. Some IPL types, like HMC FTP boot or QEMU direct kernel boot, might not provide an IPL parameter block. In this case reipl_type_init() selects IPL_TYPE_UNKNOWN and reipl_block_actual remains NULL. Nevertheless, dump_reipl_run() unconditionally dereferences it when preparing the lowcore fields. This may happen to work by chance when address zero contains readable lowcore data. A zero IPL parameter block address is then stored in lowcore, causing the stand-alone dumper to enter disabled wait after completing the dump. Explicitly store a zero IPL parameter block address and checksum when no re-IPL parameter block is available. This does not change the behavior: the stand-alone dumper completes the dump and halts, while valid re-IPL parameter blocks continue to be handled as before.

Affected products

Linux kernel: 2.6.30 — fixed in 7.3

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 7.3. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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