VulnerabilityPublished 25 Sep 2026Updated 5 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-97603: Linux kernel · idpf: disable DIM work before freeing q_vectors

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

Authoritative record:CVE-2026-97603· High

Not known to be exploited.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

Severity

High

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 10% 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.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

ghsa-6g6r-xm94-6p2f

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected 6.17.0-5.5 – 7.0.0-38.38 23 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-aws`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected 6.17.0-1002.2 – 7.0.0-1014.14 15 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected 6.17.0-1003.3 – 7.0.0-1017.17 15 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fde`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected 7.0.0-1003.3 – 7.0.0-1016.16 9 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcp`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected 6.17.0-1002.2 – 7.0.0-1014.14 13 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gke`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected 7.0.0-1002.3 – 7.0.0-1008.9 6 affected builds	Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

No explicit patch or remediation link is provided in the input data. Users should monitor vendor advisories for updates and apply official fixes when available. No generic mitigations are recommended beyond applying vendor fixes.

Description

A use-after-free vulnerability was resolved in the Linux kernel's idpf driver. The issue occurs because the driver does not properly drain Tx/Rx Dynamic Interrupt Moderation (DIM) work before freeing the associated q_vectors memory, leading to potential execution of work on freed memory. This race condition can cause invalid memory access during network interrupt handling. The vulnerability affects specific versions of the linux-hwe-edge kernel. No configuration is required to trigger the issue, and it is a timing-dependent race rather than deterministic. The severity is assessed as medium.

Impact

This vulnerability can cause use-after-free conditions leading to invalid memory access in the kernel's network driver. This may result in kernel instability or crashes. There is no evidence of remote code execution or privilege escalation from the provided data. The impact is limited to potential kernel faults during network interrupt handling.

Summary

The Linux kernel idpf driver failed to disable and drain Tx/Rx DIM work before freeing the memory for q_vectors, which embed tx_dim and rx_dim work structs. These works are scheduled from NAPI poll via net_dim(), but the driver never cancels them before freeing q_vectors, leading to idpf_tx_dim_work() and idpf_rx_dim_work() running on freed memory. This causes idpf_vport_intr_write_itr() to write to ITR registers through invalid pointers. The race arises because napi_disable() can return while the poll tail is still queueing work, and a plain cancel_work_sync() would re-arm the work behind the drain. The fix involves using disable_work_sync() and moving idpf_init_dim() to ensure works are initialized on all paths that can reach the drain. The vulnerability is a race condition triggered under load and does not require special configuration.

GCVE source: db.gcve.eu
OSV ID: UBUNTU-CVE-2026-97603
Osv Schema Version: 1.7.0
Ecosystems: Ubuntu:Pro:14.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS, Ubuntu:16.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS:16.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS, Ubuntu:18.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS-updates:18.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS:18.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS, Ubuntu:20.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS-updates:20.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS:20.04:LTS, Ubuntu:22.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Nvidia-BlueField:22.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS-preview:22.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS-updates:22.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:Realtime:22.04:LTS, Ubuntu:24.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Nvidia-BlueField:24.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS-updates:24.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:Realtime:24.04:LTS, Ubuntu:26.04:LTS

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 24 Oct 2026, 16:51 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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