# CVE-2026-89618: eventfs: Initialize ei->children and ei->list in init_ei()

> A missing initialization in the Linux kernel eventfs subsystem can cause a false warning and potential crash during memory pressure, leading to denial of service.

- **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:** 11 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-100584, BELL-CVE-2026-89618, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-89618, GHSA-jw9q-gp66-86rq, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-89618

## What is CVE-2026-89618?

CVE-2026-89618 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 11 Sep 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:

eventfs: Initialize ei->children and ei->list in init_ei()

eventfs_create_dir() allocates the eventfs_inode and initializes it with
init_ei(). But this does not initialize the eventfs_inode list_heads. If
the eventfs_create_dir() fails due to memory pressure, it will call
free_ei() before it initialized the lists, and that checks to make sure
the eventfs_inode has no children. But because the list wasn't
initialized, it will give a false warning.

Fix it by moving the list initialization into init_ei().

[ Rewrote change log ]

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-89618?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-89618?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-89618 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-89618 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-89618 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-89618 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 11 Sep 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-2026-89618 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-2026-89618/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-89618/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-89618
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-89618
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-89618

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-89618/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.