CVE-2026-97509 thunderbolt: Keep XDomain reference during the lifetime of a service
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel Thunderbolt driver allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-97509?
CVE-2026-97509 is a high-severity use after free 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:
thunderbolt: Keep XDomain reference during the lifetime of a service
This is needed because we release the service ID in tb_service_release() and the ID array is owned by the parent XDomain.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-97509?
How do I fix CVE-2026-97509?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2026-97509 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97509 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-103547, BELL-CVE-2026-97509, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-97509, GHSA-mm3q-r4c7-69f3, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-97509.