VulnerabilityPublished 25 Sep 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98054: Linux kernel · ASoC: Intel: avs: Fix unbalanced module reference count

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in d4fa6f94b91137e329ea3f5b360e140b227bb696 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC

Severity

Unrated

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 1% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in d4fa6f94b91137e329ea3f5b360e140b227bb696, 60b396b2aeca303bc468937d2b44a82399f37b3c, 23ebd4ed5799340f1d2193195c97f61d39aa9899 +1

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 d4fa6f94b91137e329ea3f5b360e140b227bb696, 60b396b2aeca303bc468937d2b44a82399f37b3c, 23ebd4ed5799340f1d2193195c97f61d39aa9899 or 3fcf670f023d47e4eb970fb886ee562b5bdfbee7.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 0a5fb3cc28fda52c761775db2ccb7ccb954aee2a, < d4fa6f94b91137e329ea3f5b360e140b227bb696	Fixed in d4fa6f94b91137e329ea3f5b360e140b227bb696
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 0a5fb3cc28fda52c761775db2ccb7ccb954aee2a, < 60b396b2aeca303bc468937d2b44a82399f37b3c	Fixed in 60b396b2aeca303bc468937d2b44a82399f37b3c
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 0a5fb3cc28fda52c761775db2ccb7ccb954aee2a, < 23ebd4ed5799340f1d2193195c97f61d39aa9899	Fixed in 23ebd4ed5799340f1d2193195c97f61d39aa9899
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 0a5fb3cc28fda52c761775db2ccb7ccb954aee2a, < 3fcf670f023d47e4eb970fb886ee562b5bdfbee7	Fixed in 3fcf670f023d47e4eb970fb886ee562b5bdfbee7
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.7	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

The vulnerability is fixed in the Linux kernel versions identified by the provided commit hashes. Users should update their Linux kernel to a version including these fixes to remediate the issue.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel ASoC Intel avs driver caused an unbalanced module reference count due to improper handling in strace_open(). This flaw was fixed by ensuring the module reference count is correctly decremented if strace_open() fails after try_module_get() succeeds.

Impact

An unbalanced module reference count can cause resource management issues, potentially leading to module unloading problems or kernel instability. No known exploits in the wild have been reported for this vulnerability.

Summary

The Linux kernel's ASoC Intel avs component had a flaw where strace_open() called try_module_get() to increment the module reference count, but if subsequent operations failed, the reference count was not decremented properly. This could lead to an unbalanced module reference count. The issue has been resolved in specific commits identified by their hashes.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Oct 2026, 12:53 UTC

Technical details

References

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