# CVE-2026-97472: ipv6: addrconf: fix temp address generation after prefix deprecation

> A logic error in Linux IPv6 address configuration prevents temporary privacy address regeneration after prefix deprecation, causing a loss of privacy features.

- **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:** 24 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 3 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-103760, BELL-CVE-2026-97472, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-97472, GHSA-qm2v-6h58-7fr4, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-97472

## What is CVE-2026-97472?

CVE-2026-97472 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 24 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:

ipv6: addrconf: fix temp address generation after prefix deprecation

When a router temporarily deprecates an IPv6 prefix (either by sending a
Router Advertisement with Preferred Lifetime = 0 or by letting the
lifetime expire) and later restores it, the kernel permanently loses its
ability to generate temporary privacy addresses (RFC 8981) for that
prefix.

This happens because the address worker attempts to generate a
replacement temporary address when the current one nears expiration. As
the base prefix is deprecated already, the generation fails after
marking the temporary address as already having spawned a replacement
(ifp->regen_count++).

When the router eventually restores the prefix, the temporary address
becomes active again. However, once it naturally expires, the address
worker sees this temporary address already tried to generate one and
skips the regeneration.

Fix the issue by resetting the regen_count check of the latest temp
address generated for the prefix updated by the incoming RA.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-97472?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-97472?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-97472 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97472 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-97472 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-97472 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 24 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-2026-97472 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-2026-97472/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97472/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97472
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97472
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-97472

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97472/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.