VulnerabilityPublished 25 Sep 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-97956: Linux kernel · net: net_failover: Fix the deadlock in net_failover_slave_name_change()

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in c49bfa2c5dbd89f7683c26fc08b11e7369ea11e5 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

Severity

Medium

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

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 5% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in c49bfa2c5dbd89f7683c26fc08b11e7369ea11e5, 985a663bf00799c1daf1c5789efa6406958780c8, 4b20e66d2e52d3628db4dccc1a33f134e73375d5

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 Linux kernel to c49bfa2c5dbd89f7683c26fc08b11e7369ea11e5, 985a663bf00799c1daf1c5789efa6406958780c8 or 4b20e66d2e52d3628db4dccc1a33f134e73375d5.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 7e4d784f5810bba76c4593791028e13cce4af547, < c49bfa2c5dbd89f7683c26fc08b11e7369ea11e5	Fixed in c49bfa2c5dbd89f7683c26fc08b11e7369ea11e5
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 7e4d784f5810bba76c4593791028e13cce4af547, < 985a663bf00799c1daf1c5789efa6406958780c8	Fixed in 985a663bf00799c1daf1c5789efa6406958780c8
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 7e4d784f5810bba76c4593791028e13cce4af547, < 4b20e66d2e52d3628db4dccc1a33f134e73375d5	Fixed in 4b20e66d2e52d3628db4dccc1a33f134e73375d5
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.15	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

Upgrade to Linux kernel version 6.15 or later where the deadlock fix has been applied. The fix is included in commits c49bfa2c5dbd89f7683c26fc08b11e7369ea11e5, 985a663bf00799c1daf1c5789efa6406958780c8, and 4b20e66d2e52d3628db4dccc1a33f134e73375d5. No additional mitigation is required beyond applying the official patch.

Description

A deadlock vulnerability in the Linux kernel's net_failover subsystem was fixed in version 6.15. The issue occurs in the function net_failover_slave_name_change(), which could cause a deadlock due to improper locking behavior. This fix is related to a previous deadlock fix in slave register handling. The problem involves the use of netif_open() instead of dev_open() under netdev_lock_ops() in upper callers.

Impact

The vulnerability could cause the Linux kernel to deadlock during network failover operations involving slave device name changes. This can lead to system hangs or degraded network functionality. There is no indication of remote code execution or privilege escalation. No known exploits in the wild have been reported.

Summary

CVE-2026-97956 addresses a deadlock condition in the Linux kernel's net_failover subsystem specifically within the net_failover_slave_name_change() function. The deadlock arises because of locking conflicts when changing the slave device name, traced through a call stack involving mutex locks and device open calls. The fix replaces dev_open() with netif_open() to align with the locking context established by netdev_lock_ops(). This vulnerability is a sibling fix to a prior deadlock fix in the slave register path. The issue was resolved in Linux kernel version 6.15.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Oct 2026, 13:21 UTC

Technical details

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