CVE-2026-97966

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: octeontx2-pf: reset HTB scheduler topology before freeing queues HTB offload programs NIX_AF_TLxX_TOPOLOGY on QoS-allocated scheduler queues via otx2_qos_txschq_set_parent_topology(), but teardown freed those queues without clearing TOPOLOGY. The AF only restores PARENT and SCHEDULE on free, so PRIO_ANCHOR/RR_PRIO settings can survive in the shared scheduler pool and affect later allocations. Add otx2_qos_reset_schq_topology() and otx2_qos_free_hw_schq() to zero TL4 through TL2 TOPOLOGY before each schq is returned to the AF during hierarchy teardown and cfg rollback. Skip the aggregation level (TL1): it is a per-tx-link queue shared by the PF, default Tx hierarchy and VFs, and is not freed back to the AF by nix_txschq_free_one().

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

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 6.5 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.6.158, 6.12.111, 6.18.53, 7.2.7, 7.3-rc3 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 6.5
Fixed in
✓ 6.6.158 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.111 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.53 6.18.x ✓ 7.2.7 7.2.x ✓ 7.3-rc3

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-97966?

    CVE-2026-97966 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.5 onward and has been patched in 6.6.158, 6.12.111, 6.18.53 and others. CVE-2026-97966 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-97966?

    Yes. CVE-2026-97966 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.6.158, 6.12.111, 6.18.53 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 6.5 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-97966 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-97966 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.