---
id: CVE-2026-97603
title: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  idpf: disable DIM work before freeing q_vectors

  idpf never drains the Tx/Rx DIM works before freeing the memory they
  live in
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  idpf: disable DIM work before freeing q_vectors

  idpf never drains the Tx/Rx DIM works before freeing the memory they
  live in.  tx_dim and rx_dim are embedded in struct…
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= c2d548cad1508d334517bcbd7cd5c915cc831fc0 <
    7e4312953788244d47074987d40d76702cf929f1
  - >-
    Linux >= c2d548cad1508d334517bcbd7cd5c915cc831fc0 <
    cd7a1598645b6917a8676b7e2efe8d97ce68a952
  - >-
    Linux >= c2d548cad1508d334517bcbd7cd5c915cc831fc0 <
    7dd4c829bac2916be98a3e34b41daaba7f42b4c4
  - Linux 6.7
published: '2026-09-25'
updated: '2026-09-25'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-25T11:17:13.393'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97603'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7dd4c829bac2916be98a3e34b41daaba7f42b4c4'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7e4312953788244d47074987d40d76702cf929f1'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cd7a1598645b6917a8676b7e2efe8d97ce68a952'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
tags:
  - nvd
  - cve.org
ingestedAt: '2026-09-25T11:06:38.902Z'
---

## Overview

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

idpf: disable DIM work before freeing q_vectors

idpf never drains the Tx/Rx DIM works before freeing the memory they
live in.  tx_dim and rx_dim are embedded in struct idpf_q_vector, they
are queued from the NAPI poll via net_dim(), and idpf_vport_intr_rel()
ends with kfree(rsrc->q_vectors).  Nothing in the driver cancels them.

idpf_tx_dim_work() and idpf_rx_dim_work() then run on freed memory:
idpf_vport_intr_write_itr() writes the ITR register through
q_vector->intr_reg.tx_itr / rx_itr, void __iomem pointers loaded out of
the freed q_vector.  No configuration is needed to get there --
IDPF_ITR_IS_DYNAMIC() is defined as (itr_mode) and idpf_vport_alloc()
initialises both modes to IDPF_ITR_DYNAMIC.

Draining after idpf_vport_intr_napi_dis_all() is not enough on its own.
idpf_net_dim() is called from inside the
"if (napi_complete_done(napi, work_done))" branch of the poll, and
napi_complete_done() has already cleared NAPIF_STATE_SCHED by then.
napi_disable_locked() waits only while (val & (NAPIF_STATE_SCHED |
NAPIF_STATE_NPSVC)), so napi_disable() can return while the poll tail is
still queueing the work, and a plain cancel_work_sync() would be
re-armed behind the drain.

Use disable_work_sync(): schedule_work() on a work with a non-zero
disable count is dropped by clear_pending_if_disabled() before
__queue_work() is reached.

Move idpf_init_dim() to idpf_vport_intr_alloc() so the works are
initialised on every path that can reach the drain -- the three
"goto intr_deinit" sites between idpf_vport_intr_init() and
idpf_vport_intr_ena() get there without the enable side having run.
Nothing re-enables them: rsrc->q_vectors is freed on every exit from
idpf_vport_open() and on every idpf_vport_stop(), so the count dies with
the object.

It is a race, not a deterministic failure -- net_dim() only schedules
once DIM_NEVENTS events have accumulated and the profile index changes.
A KASAN ifup/ifdown loop under load is the way to see it.

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.