Kernel crash via stale XDomain service reference
Published Sep 24, 2026 · Updated Sep 24, 2026
Use-after-free in the Linux Thunderbolt XDomain service lifecycle allows attackers to crash the kernel during deferred service teardown. tb_service_release() frees an identifier from the parent XDomain's service_ids array even though the parent can be released before the service's final release callback. Reachability requires an instantiated Thunderbolt XDomain service and teardown while another reference delays final service release; no data compromise or code execution is documented.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the Linux Thunderbolt XDomain service lifecycle allows attackers to crash the kernel during deferred service teardown. tb_service_release() frees an identifier from the parent XDomain's service_ids array even though the parent can be released before the service's final release callback. Reachability requires an instantiated Thunderbolt XDomain service and teardown while another reference delays final service release; no data compromise or code execution is documented.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-97509
- Published
- Sep 24, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 24, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- Unavailable
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 24, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 24, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <5.10.266
- Affected versionversion=0 <5.15.217
- Affected versionversion=0 <6.12.111
- Affected versionversion=0 <6.18.53
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <8ab12d015884b8aa85ea7ed58c5a0bae4264fe60
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <8b4060998637f06975fceee9b73845d8672d411e
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <a4567e5380e4e46d0ea9a28d2d675e5c6f013d54
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <daeaa6c7211d03ed061b0dd22a875fad9372b090
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <ea60ae6233ca0fc0d414e9c11f0d86c63b303fc7
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
No sourced classifications are available.
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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