CVE-2026-98690: thunderbolt: Fix domain reference leak when DPRX read is canceled

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: 2026-10-18 · updated 2026-10-19

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: thunderbolt: Fix domain reference leak when DPRX read is canceled tb_tunnel_one_dp() takes a domain reference which is only dropped once tb_dp_tunnel_active() has run on the work queue. If that work is cancelled that reference is leaked. Since commit f5cc545f5969 ("thunderbolt: Wait for tb_domain_release() to complete when driver is removed") instead of just leaking memory this now also blocks in the completion wait forever when unbinding the driver. This can be triggered whenever a DP tunnel is torn down before the DPRX read has completed, e.g. by unplugging within the timeout, and then unbinding the driver. That reference only exists to keep the domain around while the DPRX work is scheduled so let the work itself own it: take it in tb_dp_dprx_start() and drop it in both places that end the work. Get/put are then paired inside the same file and it doesn't matter anymore if the callback ever runs.

Affected products

Linux kernel: 6.14 — 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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