CVE-2026-97962Hinoki check available

Kernel warning via unlocked reporter teardown

Published Sep 25, 2026 · Updated Sep 25, 2026

Improper locking in Linux 6.4 allows local users with driver-unbind access to trigger a kernel warning in the mlx5e representor reporter. The reporter is destroyed from the representor netdev unload path without the devlink instance lock, causing devl_assert_locked() to emit a warning. Reaching the path requires privileged driver unbind and an mlx5 eswitch representor; the published trace establishes a warning and kernel taint, not a crash or data loss.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.17%
Next 30 days · Oct 19, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkAvailable
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Summary

What happened

Improper locking in Linux 6.4 allows local users with driver-unbind access to trigger a kernel warning in the mlx5e representor reporter. The reporter is destroyed from the representor netdev unload path without the devlink instance lock, causing devl_assert_locked() to emit a warning. Reaching the path requires privileged driver unbind and an mlx5 eswitch representor; the published trace establishes a warning and kernel taint, not a crash or data loss.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-97962
Published
Sep 25, 2026
Updated
Sep 25, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
Unavailable
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 25, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=6.4
  2. Affected versionversion=cf14af140a5ad0937d385ce693100f33f02e9c54 <7f26a5e8040b4957ef4dbdfcde6cc7ba2db53937
  3. Affected versionversion=cf14af140a5ad0937d385ce693100f33f02e9c54 <d1fcff9b39bac188ef62a77ebd176484be928ec2
  4. Affected versionversion=cf14af140a5ad0937d385ce693100f33f02e9c54 <dcaba72c85c14fe7393a59d61695941e6ccbd7d7

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=6.4; version=cf14af140a5ad0937d385ce693100f33f02e9c54 <7f26a5e8040b4957ef4dbdfcde6cc7ba2db53937; version=cf14af140a5ad0937d385ce693100f33f02e9c54 <d1fcff9b39bac188ef62a77ebd176484be928ec2; version=cf14af140a5ad0937d385ce693100f33f02e9c54 <dcaba72c85c14fe7393a59d61695941e6ccbd7d7

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 22, 2026Sep 28, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 28, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

No sourced classifications are available.

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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