VulnerabilityPublished 25 Sep 2026Updated 21 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-97616: Linux kernel · net/sched: act_api: release all action references on NEWACTION failure

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in f908c8a969946a45225fd7f9d9a85771e12ae0a8 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:07 UTC

Severity

Unrated

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.
Patch: Available – fixed in f908c8a969946a45225fd7f9d9a85771e12ae0a8, 048617743febf6530111cfb594e9bbbd7918bf67, 478eb5abb51931a152abab068f8a717b7ff480fd +2

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.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 55334a5db5cd32b207ac697cec3ec8e078f345d4, < f908c8a969946a45225fd7f9d9a85771e12ae0a8	Fixed in f908c8a969946a45225fd7f9d9a85771e12ae0a8
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 55334a5db5cd32b207ac697cec3ec8e078f345d4, < 048617743febf6530111cfb594e9bbbd7918bf67	Fixed in 048617743febf6530111cfb594e9bbbd7918bf67
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 55334a5db5cd32b207ac697cec3ec8e078f345d4, < 478eb5abb51931a152abab068f8a717b7ff480fd	Fixed in 478eb5abb51931a152abab068f8a717b7ff480fd
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 55334a5db5cd32b207ac697cec3ec8e078f345d4, < 64b36eaef6ea5ada9aea4c2cf87099aaa8a4869b	Fixed in 64b36eaef6ea5ada9aea4c2cf87099aaa8a4869b
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 55334a5db5cd32b207ac697cec3ec8e078f345d4, < 1b5730a1c7def8993b3feba764008d1ff5c9dcea	Fixed in 1b5730a1c7def8993b3feba764008d1ff5c9dcea
LinuxLinux	Affected =3.15	Fixed in–

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/sched: act_api: release all action references on NEWACTION failure When a batched RTM_NEWACTION request replaces an existing action, tcf_idr_check_alloc() takes a temporary reference on it. If a later action fails to initialize, tcf_action_destroy() uses strict release semantics to clean up the actions initialized so far. For an action bound to a filter, the strict check returns -EPERM without dropping the temporary reference. This error also makes tcf_action_destroy() return before releasing subsequent entries. Any new action initialized between the bound action and the failing entry is leaked together with its reserved IDR slot, preventing reuse of its index. Use tcf_idr_release() to drop each reference held by the batch without rejecting bound actions. This allows cleanup to continue through all initialized entries and preserves the module reference release when an action is destroyed. Explicit action deletion and flushing retain their separate bind-count checks.

References

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