CVE-2026-97546: Linux kernel · xfs: don't spin forever on zero-length dirents when salvaging them
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC
Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD
- EPSS
- 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 9% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Exploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Sep 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gkepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
A fix has been applied to the Linux kernel to address this issue. Users should update to the patched kernel versions listed to remediate the vulnerability. Since this is a kernel-level fix, applying the official kernel updates from the vendor is the recommended mitigation.
Description
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's XFS filesystem code could cause the system to spin indefinitely when processing zero-length directory entries during directory salvage operations. This issue has been resolved to prevent infinite spinning on such malformed entries.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-97546 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97546 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/5442f0c56445618544a801fb4dae35aed87a1aaa (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/a455c83ce5dc1a2da33b1b84253d298372a8dfbd (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/9f84792b40d0c96833341602144574bf0bd14a6a (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/08754ebfa5c28e8d57316b1bd7a5a921a5e2e762 (opens in a new tab)