# CVE-2026-97916: accel/ivpu: Validate firmware log buffer metadata

> A race condition in the Linux kernel's NPU driver allows firmware to trigger out-of-bounds memory access, potentially causing crashes or code execution.

- **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:** 25 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-104789, BELL-CVE-2026-97916, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-97916, GHSA-9698-pw26-h6mc, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-97916

## What is CVE-2026-97916?

CVE-2026-97916 is a 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:

accel/ivpu: Validate firmware log buffer metadata

The tracing log headers parsed by fw_log_print_buffer() reside in
DMA-shared BOs that the NPU firmware can write to.

fw_log_from_bo() validated log->header_size and log->size, but
fw_log_print_buffer() re-read those same fields from shared memory
afterwards, allowing a TOCTOU where firmware changes them between the
check and the use, and making the host dereference out-of-bounds
addresses while printing logs.

Snapshot the validated values once with READ_ONCE() and pass them down
explicitly in a new struct ivpu_fw_log_desc instead of re-reading them
from the shared struct.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-97916?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-97916?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-97916 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97916 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-97916 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-97916 is a 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97916 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-2026-97916/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97916/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97916
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97916
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-97916

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97916/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.