VulnerabilityPublished 25 Sep 2026Updated 21 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-97950: Linux kernel · configfs: pin the symlink target's dirent instead of chasing ->ci_dentry

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in d47c5de1cd6bfbe1067fc310bf90e4e00205e839 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 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 d47c5de1cd6bfbe1067fc310bf90e4e00205e839, a44744454eafbc158e8c8e3ef8d207076410b195, a7c1290eef60711c10289c056ad32ed1f2b47b12 +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 ≥ 7063fbf2261194f72ee75afca67b3b38b554b5fa, < d47c5de1cd6bfbe1067fc310bf90e4e00205e839	Fixed in d47c5de1cd6bfbe1067fc310bf90e4e00205e839
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 7063fbf2261194f72ee75afca67b3b38b554b5fa, < a44744454eafbc158e8c8e3ef8d207076410b195	Fixed in a44744454eafbc158e8c8e3ef8d207076410b195
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 7063fbf2261194f72ee75afca67b3b38b554b5fa, < a7c1290eef60711c10289c056ad32ed1f2b47b12	Fixed in a7c1290eef60711c10289c056ad32ed1f2b47b12
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 7063fbf2261194f72ee75afca67b3b38b554b5fa, < 846ff40fd57a47e59a41f4e331ec3b34efaddc23	Fixed in 846ff40fd57a47e59a41f4e331ec3b34efaddc23
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 7063fbf2261194f72ee75afca67b3b38b554b5fa, < 4f54beb2e7f6d399396466682fba3539bcdcb414	Fixed in 4f54beb2e7f6d399396466682fba3539bcdcb414
LinuxLinux	Affected =2.6.16	Fixed in–

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: configfs: pin the symlink target's dirent instead of chasing ->ci_dentry create_link() reads the target's configfs_dirent from item->ci_dentry->d_fsdata, relying on the item reference taken by get_target(). That reference pins the item, not its dentry: the dentry is pinned by DCACHE_PERSISTENT, which configfs_remove_dir() releases via simple_rmdir() while the item is still alive. A symlink racing with rmdir of its target can therefore find ->ci_dentry freed and its dirent released, triggering WARN_ON(!atomic_read(&sd->s_count)) in configfs_get(). Take the dirent in get_target() as well, under ->d_lock and atomically with the item reference, and pass it down to create_link(). A hashed dentry has not been killed yet, so its ->d_fsdata reference keeps the dirent alive there.

References

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