CVE-2026-97597

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: flowlabel: cap duplicate leases per socket ipv6_flowlabel_get() allocates an ipv6_fl_socklist entry for every successful GET. The recheck path for a compatible existing flowlabel links another lease without applying any lease admission check. Repeated GET requests for one shareable label can therefore grow a socket's lease list without bound. Reject a new unprivileged lease once the socket already holds FL_MAX_PER_SOCK leases. Check this on the shared recheck path so reuse of a globally interned label, including the fl_intern() collision path, is covered as well. New-label admission remains under the existing mem_check() policy. Use capable(CAP_NET_ADMIN) rather than ns_capable(), matching mem_check(). An unprivileged user must not bypass the cap by creating a user namespace and a netns where they have CAP_NET_ADMIN, which would still consume host memory. Check the capability only when the socket reaches the limit, so successful unprivileged GET requests below the cap do not generate a capability audit. Do the admission check before updating linger and expires so a rejected GET does not refresh the shared label, matching the existing socket-list allocation failure path.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-09-25
Last modified 2026-10-03
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 2.6.12 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.12.112, 6.18.53, 7.2.7, 7.3-rc3 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 2.6.12
Fixed in
✓ 6.12.112 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.53 6.18.x ✓ 7.2.7 7.2.x ✓ 7.3-rc3

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-97597?

    CVE-2026-97597 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 2.6.12 onward and has been patched in 6.12.112, 6.18.53, 7.2.7 and others. CVE-2026-97597 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-97597?

    Yes. CVE-2026-97597 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.112, 6.18.53, 7.2.7 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 2.6.12 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-97597 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-97597 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.