CVE-2026-97969
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: watchdog: msc313e: Fix clock leak and spurious timer in settimeout() msc313e_wdt_settimeout() unconditionally calls msc313e_wdt_start() which introduces two severe bugs: 1. If the watchdog is already active, calling start() again will increase the reference count of the clock again. However stop() is only called once, the reference count is unbalance. 2. If the watchdog is stopped, calling settimeout() will start the hardware timer accidentally. Factor out the register-writing logic into a helper function. Only call it in settimeout() if the watchdog is running. Otherwise, simply update `wdev->timeout`.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
5.14
and later are affected. Fixed in
5.15.222,
6.1.189,
6.6.158,
6.12.111,
6.18.53,
7.2.7,
7.3-rc3
and their respective stable series.
References
7 totalFrequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-97969?
CVE-2026-97969 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.14 onward and has been patched in 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158 and others. CVE-2026-97969 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
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Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-97969?
Yes. CVE-2026-97969 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.14 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-97969 actively exploited?
No. CVE-2026-97969 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.