CVE-2026-80924 crypto: krb5 - use kfree_sensitive() for derived key buffers
An attacker with local access could potentially read sensitive cryptographic key material from freed memory in the Linux kernel.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-80924?
CVE-2026-80924 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, published on 9 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
crypto: krb5 - use kfree_sensitive() for derived key buffers
crypto_krb5_prepare_encryption() and crypto_krb5_prepare_checksum() free the buffer holding the freshly derived keys with plain kfree(), leaving the key material behind in the freed slab object.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-80924?
How do I fix CVE-2026-80924?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2026-80924 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-80924 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-80924, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-80924, GHSA-v3j5-mp2x-9859, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-80924.