Unspecified impact via stale PCI device references
Published Sep 25, 2026 · Updated Sep 25, 2026
Use-after-free in amd_smn_init in Linux 6.17.8 through 6.18 allows attackers to cause unspecified impact via unspecified vectors. The function caches PCI root-device pointers without taking independent references, while its search iterator releases the temporary references as traversal advances. The path runs only on Zen-capable x86 systems during AMD SMN initialization; public sources disclose neither an attacker-controlled trigger nor a bounded consequence.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in amd_smn_init in Linux 6.17.8 through 6.18 allows attackers to cause unspecified impact via unspecified vectors. The function caches PCI root-device pointers without taking independent references, while its search iterator releases the temporary references as traversal advances. The path runs only on Zen-capable x86 systems during AMD SMN initialization; public sources disclose neither an attacker-controlled trigger nor a bounded consequence.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-97946
- Published
- Sep 25, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 25, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- Unavailable
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 25, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 25, 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=0a4b61d9c2e496b5f0a10e29e355a1465c8738bb <27600805e62f800bacf990354632eae4e487d34c
- Affected versionversion=0a4b61d9c2e496b5f0a10e29e355a1465c8738bb <84e3a71d11d8593c127b468d75b2653af5074f81
- Affected versionversion=0a4b61d9c2e496b5f0a10e29e355a1465c8738bb <aa2a4277ad42fd8f918c6dc652473946a253f7b0
- Affected versionversion=6.17.8 <6.18
- Affected versionversion=6.18
- Affected versionversion=c4ad899a33198ab6335732c769835d035e66894a
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
No CVSS assessment is available in this record.
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
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
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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