---
id: CVE-2026-80989
title: >-
  kernel: net: thunderbolt: Mark the connection down when bringing it up fails
  (CVE-2026-80989)
summary: >-
  A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Thunderbolt networking subsystem. When
  a Thunderbolt connection fails to establish, the system may not correctly
  update its state, leading to repeated attempts to tear down an already
  inactive connect…
severity: high
cvss: 7
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cvssSource: vendor
cwe: CWE-1341
vendor: Red Hat
product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
affected:
  - enterprise_linux 10
  - enterprise_linux 8
  - enterprise_linux 9
  - openshift_container_platform 4
published: '2026-09-11'
updated: '2026-09-14'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-14T20:05:57+00:00'
source: CSAF
sourceUrl: 'https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-80989.json'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-80989.json
  - url: 'https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-80989'
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2532453'
  - url: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-80989'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-80989'
  - url: >-
      https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-80989.mbox
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e0d4a17afde5aa0045dc3e1d66c6bb80927bad8c'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed1d6e3d735e7b03f43a02f4306c89eb7663da14'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f01e6a35c440b62f060e21f36b385e574a7f308c'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d6c0af293129345a17dc31c9b4179dc7f3d6af7a'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c8b26ebf525ba5960510f48c6e9936a79ebe76f'
tags:
  - csaf
  - vex
  - red-hat
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00398
epssPercentile: 0.31222
scores:
  vendor: 7
  cna: 8.8
ingestedAt: '2026-09-14T15:23:07.454Z'
---

## Overview

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Thunderbolt networking subsystem. When a Thunderbolt connection fails to establish, the system may not correctly update its state, leading to repeated attempts to tear down an already inactive connection. This can result in a kernel warning and, under certain configurations, a system crash (Denial of Service). Additionally, this flaw could lead to the premature release of resources still in use, potentially causing system instability.

## Vendor advisories

- **Red Hat VEX** · Moderate · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · no fix planned: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · updated 2026-09-14 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-80989.json)

**kernel: net: thunderbolt: Mark the connection down when bringing it up fails** — rated Moderate by Red Hat. Released 2026-09-11, updated 2026-09-14.

Affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

No fix planned:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

Not affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

## Remediation

Affected