CVE-2026-97973

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: macb: destroy the phylink instance on the probe error path macb_mii_init() creates a phylink instance on both of its success paths, but the probe unwind frees the netdev without destroying it, so a failing macb_alloc_tieoff() or register_netdev() leaks the instance. Destroy it at err_out_unregister_mdio, which is only reachable once macb_mii_init() has succeeded, so bp->phylink is valid there.

• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/23b6a44ffea1c54a4232aa86ee470b21422a8cc5
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7d059f390750152b9bd69df934198651b94fc26d
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8558e3195664113c14a4d8fcf221b3caff41fed1
• https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e92a45b872b035c79acde8dd0da096a72b61ff2f