File-descriptor exhaustion via repeated compat ioctl
Published Sep 25, 2026 · Updated Sep 25, 2026
Resource leakage in affected Linux kernels allows local users to exhaust file descriptors through repeated VDUSE_IOTLB_GET_FD compat ioctls. The vduse_dev_compat_ioctl handler installs the descriptor returned by receive_fd(), then incorrectly calls native dispatch; the command-size mismatch returns -ENOIOCTLCMD and hides the successful installation. Triggering the leak requires 32-bit x86 userspace access to a configured VDUSE device, and repetition can consume the calling process's descriptor table and disrupt its VDUSE operations.
Summary
What happened
Resource leakage in affected Linux kernels allows local users to exhaust file descriptors through repeated VDUSE_IOTLB_GET_FD compat ioctls. The vduse_dev_compat_ioctl handler installs the descriptor returned by receive_fd(), then incorrectly calls native dispatch; the command-size mismatch returns -ENOIOCTLCMD and hides the successful installation. Triggering the leak requires 32-bit x86 userspace access to a configured VDUSE device, and repetition can consume the calling process's descriptor table and disrupt its VDUSE operations.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-97983
- Published
- Sep 25, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 25, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
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=455a2a1af92651764e9eb42cec0d95ac142afc28 <135ac58097fa5fc707bf392c5cececf59e4080c0
- Affected versionversion=455a2a1af92651764e9eb42cec0d95ac142afc28 <48a4ee65e677559776349128e6a81a6041986c99
- Affected versionversion=7.1.5 <7.2
- Affected versionversion=7.2
- Affected versionversion=7dd28904c42ee3b0728c0692dd3332c2c83e8f33
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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