# CVE-2026-68168: afs: Fix afs_edit_dir_remove() to get, not find, block 0

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel AFS filesystem allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 10 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 17 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-68168, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-68168, GHSA-jwjj-cxp5-4ffw, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-68168

## What is CVE-2026-68168?

CVE-2026-68168 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 10 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

afs: Fix afs_edit_dir_remove() to get, not find, block 0

Fix afs_edit_dir_remove() to use afs_dir_get_block() to get block 0 rather
than afs_dir_find_block() as the latter caches the found block in the
afs_dir_iter and may[*] switch out the page it's on if another
afs_dir_find_block() is done.  This parallels what afs_edit_dir_add() does.

[*] There's more than one block per page.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-68168?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-68168?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-68168 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-68168 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-68168 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-68168 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 10 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-68168 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-68168/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-68168/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-68168
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-68168
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-68168

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-68168/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.