CVE-2026-97606: Linux kernel · fs: autofs: fix memory leak in autofs_fill_super()
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC
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.
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 is available that properly frees the allocated inode on failure in autofs_fill_super(). Users should apply the updated Linux kernel versions that include this patch to prevent memory leaks. Since this is a kernel-level fix, upgrading the kernel package to a patched version is the recommended remediation.
Description
A memory leak vulnerability was identified and fixed in the Linux kernel's autofs filesystem component. The issue occurred in the autofs_fill_super() function where a newly created inode was not freed upon failure to create the root inode, leading to a memory leak. This flaw has been resolved by adding proper cleanup code to free the inode on failure.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-97606 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97606 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/4262b91e08e74cb5209ea737c554cf983d332382 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/9933ad1c4ff67680cd59c47f6d2e81b533bcd467 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/5ab54837fce04a1c9923d0bfd3d5de51fdc768b3 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/6259b5d9bdc45fdb3158406b28c27fa074823159 (opens in a new tab)