VulnerabilityPublished 25 Sep 2026Updated 30 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-97901: Linux kernel · genetlink: pin family module during policy dump

Source GCVE Database

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Authoritative record:CVE-2026-97901· High

Not known to be exploited · fixed in ad01ec35360e803670168d63a856629d6aeaec48 : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 17:32 UTC

Severity

High

Rated High by Threat Radar's AI analysis · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

Patch: Available – fixed in ad01ec35360e803670168d63a856629d6aeaec48, 508387ad95ef9c13aa6431678c39763e882da2dc, 7f71414c206a0e2babf4ec2756c0d15776c5dfd2 +5

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Sep 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: 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 30 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.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), 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-5pgr-jp8q-29xm

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d07dcf9aadd6b2842b439e8668ff7ea2873f28d7, < ad01ec35360e803670168d63a856629d6aeaec48	Fixed in ad01ec35360e803670168d63a856629d6aeaec48
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d07dcf9aadd6b2842b439e8668ff7ea2873f28d7, < 508387ad95ef9c13aa6431678c39763e882da2dc	Fixed in 508387ad95ef9c13aa6431678c39763e882da2dc
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d07dcf9aadd6b2842b439e8668ff7ea2873f28d7, < 7f71414c206a0e2babf4ec2756c0d15776c5dfd2	Fixed in 7f71414c206a0e2babf4ec2756c0d15776c5dfd2
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d07dcf9aadd6b2842b439e8668ff7ea2873f28d7, < 7ee2c0f82354da9bae04b14e0e5b2037d2de48a7	Fixed in 7ee2c0f82354da9bae04b14e0e5b2037d2de48a7
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d07dcf9aadd6b2842b439e8668ff7ea2873f28d7, < 6e4d746e55c83c240cffce92356763d16b236af5	Fixed in 6e4d746e55c83c240cffce92356763d16b236af5
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d07dcf9aadd6b2842b439e8668ff7ea2873f28d7, < 6d8e653fcf1c90310797eeba8e5fafe9ccc3de9e	Fixed in 6d8e653fcf1c90310797eeba8e5fafe9ccc3de9e

AI-suggested

A fix has been implemented that takes a reference to the target family's module during the policy dump to prevent it from being unloaded prematurely. Users should apply the official Linux kernel updates that include this fix once available. Since this is a kernel-level issue, upgrading to a patched kernel version is the recommended mitigation.

Description

CVE-2026-97901 is a vulnerability in the Linux kernel's generic netlink controller related to improper module reference counting during policy dumps. The issue allows the target family's module to be unloaded while a policy dump is still pending, leading to potential use-after-free when the dump advances and dereferences memory from the unloaded module. The flaw is addressed by taking a reference to the target family's module at the start of the dump and releasing it appropriately, ensuring the module remains loaded during the operation.

References

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