CVE-2026-97584 afs: Fix incorrect free in candidate cleanup in afs_lookup_server()
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's AFS filesystem allows attackers to cause a denial of service or potentially execute code.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-97584?
CVE-2026-97584 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 25 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:
afs: Fix incorrect free in candidate cleanup in afs_lookup_server()
Fix afs_lookup_server() to not free an existing server's endpoint state when cleaning up a candidate server. The candidate record doesn't have an endpoint state yet at this point, so the free for that can just be removed.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-97584?
How do I fix CVE-2026-97584?
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-2026-97584 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97584 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-97584, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-97584, GHSA-xmpm-73hx-4wcj, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-97584.