7.8
HIGH CVSS 3.1
CVE-2026-63985
ethtool: eeprom: add more safeties to EEPROM Netlink fallback
Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ethtool: eeprom: add more safeties to EEPROM Netlink fallback The Netlink fallback path for reading module EEPROM (fallback_set_params()) validates that offset < eeprom_len, but does not check that offset + length stays within eeprom_len. The ioctl equivalent (ethtool_get_any_eeprom() in ioctl.c) has always enforced both bounds: if (eeprom.offset + eeprom.len > total_len) return -EINVAL; This could lead to surprises in both drivers and device FW. Add the missing offset + length validation to fallback_set_params(), mirroring the ioctl. Similarly - ethtool core in general, and ethtool_get_any_eeprom() in particular tries to zero-init all buffers passed to the drivers to avoid any extra work of zeroing things out. eeprom_fallback() uses a plain kmalloc(), change it to zalloc.

INFO

Published Date :

July 19, 2026, 4:17 p.m.

Last Modified :

July 30, 2026, 2:51 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

No

Source :

416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-63985 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Linux linux_kernel
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 3.1 HIGH 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Solution
Apply the Linux kernel patch to add bounds checking and use zalloc for EEPROM reading.
  • Update the Linux kernel to include the ethtool EEPROM safety patch.
  • Ensure offset and length do not exceed EEPROM bounds.
  • Use zalloc for EEPROM fallback buffers.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-63985 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-63985 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2026-63985 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-63985 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

    Jul. 20, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
  • New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

    Jul. 19, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '96d971e307cc0e434f96329b42bbd98cfbca07d2', 'lessThan': '0e182689831277faf2ef683573a60474c208f690', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '96d971e307cc0e434f96329b42bbd98cfbca07d2', 'lessThan': '6ed7ebe22e9c3e3e946b6973c1ce43d3c38aeac1', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '96d971e307cc0e434f96329b42bbd98cfbca07d2', 'lessThan': '65674d2489a12b8efd2ca0effb3de1d12224b596', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '96d971e307cc0e434f96329b42bbd98cfbca07d2', 'lessThan': 'd81376053a00865c70b8d8506a1cb93f2943d413', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '96d971e307cc0e434f96329b42bbd98cfbca07d2', 'lessThan': 'fd0de51c54fa8474a0ddeedd71c65ad09fada390', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '96d971e307cc0e434f96329b42bbd98cfbca07d2', 'lessThan': '4fe1bc4b3603f621240d5b401742f302190db769', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '96d971e307cc0e434f96329b42bbd98cfbca07d2', 'lessThan': '67cfdd9210b99f260b3e0afeb9525e0acc7be31e', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['net/ethtool/eeprom.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '5.13'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '5.13', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '5.15.210', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '5.15.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.1.176', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.143', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.93', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.35', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.0.12', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.0.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['net/ethtool/eeprom.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}]
    Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ethtool: eeprom: add more safeties to EEPROM Netlink fallback The Netlink fallback path for reading module EEPROM (fallback_set_params()) validates that offset < eeprom_len, but does not check that offset + length stays within eeprom_len. The ioctl equivalent (ethtool_get_any_eeprom() in ioctl.c) has always enforced both bounds: if (eeprom.offset + eeprom.len > total_len) return -EINVAL; This could lead to surprises in both drivers and device FW. Add the missing offset + length validation to fallback_set_params(), mirroring the ioctl. Similarly - ethtool core in general, and ethtool_get_any_eeprom() in particular tries to zero-init all buffers passed to the drivers to avoid any extra work of zeroing things out. eeprom_fallback() uses a plain kmalloc(), change it to zalloc.
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0e182689831277faf2ef683573a60474c208f690
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4fe1bc4b3603f621240d5b401742f302190db769
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/65674d2489a12b8efd2ca0effb3de1d12224b596
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/67cfdd9210b99f260b3e0afeb9525e0acc7be31e
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6ed7ebe22e9c3e3e946b6973c1ce43d3c38aeac1
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d81376053a00865c70b8d8506a1cb93f2943d413
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fd0de51c54fa8474a0ddeedd71c65ad09fada390
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.