VulnerabilityPublished 25 Sep 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-97987: Linux kernel · virtio_input: reset device if input_register_device() fails

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in 81489b32a21c9360f8750d1fb600155d27452e19 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 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 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 81489b32a21c9360f8750d1fb600155d27452e19, 8407da8974326c1ffdfe6a5a9bfc8fed3212bbdf, 668ebfea7ba623450b12fdeaa0d080464d0c0a14 +3

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 ≥ 271c865161c57cfabca45b93eaa712b19da365bc, < 81489b32a21c9360f8750d1fb600155d27452e19	Fixed in 81489b32a21c9360f8750d1fb600155d27452e19
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 271c865161c57cfabca45b93eaa712b19da365bc, < 8407da8974326c1ffdfe6a5a9bfc8fed3212bbdf	Fixed in 8407da8974326c1ffdfe6a5a9bfc8fed3212bbdf
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 271c865161c57cfabca45b93eaa712b19da365bc, < 668ebfea7ba623450b12fdeaa0d080464d0c0a14	Fixed in 668ebfea7ba623450b12fdeaa0d080464d0c0a14
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 271c865161c57cfabca45b93eaa712b19da365bc, < 087b9ee4d36968329c846e6846e4e50f66532888	Fixed in 087b9ee4d36968329c846e6846e4e50f66532888
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 271c865161c57cfabca45b93eaa712b19da365bc, < 16c90260ae7ae32d7ac9128fb5da404c37154765	Fixed in 16c90260ae7ae32d7ac9128fb5da404c37154765
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 271c865161c57cfabca45b93eaa712b19da365bc, < 9a7e107734137f098f9b81e5615aa5a02c5395c7	Fixed in 9a7e107734137f098f9b81e5615aa5a02c5395c7

AI-suggested

A fix is available in the Linux kernel as indicated by the fixed commit versions. Users should update to a kernel version that includes these fixes to mitigate the vulnerability.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's virtio_input driver was fixed by ensuring the device is reset if input_register_device() fails. Previously, if device registration failed, the device could continue DMA operations on torn-down queues, potentially causing instability or resource issues.

Impact

If input_register_device() fails, the device could continue performing DMA operations on virtqueues that were already torn down, potentially leading to resource corruption or instability in the kernel's device handling.

Summary

The Linux kernel's virtio_input driver marked the device as ready before calling input_register_device(). If registration failed, the error handling cleared the ready state and called del_vqs() while the device was still live, allowing the device to continue DMA to queues that had already been torn down. The fix involves calling virtio_reset_device() in the error path before tearing down the virtqueues to properly reset the device state.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Oct 2026, 13:08 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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