# CVE-2026-97920: tracing: Keep the entry count when the histogram stats allocation fails

> An integer overflow in Linux kernel tracing allows out-of-bounds memory access and potential code execution when histogram stats allocation fails.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 25 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-104198, BELL-CVE-2026-97920, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-97920, GHSA-r69x-p84r-2wc9, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-97920

## What is CVE-2026-97920?

CVE-2026-97920 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:

tracing: Keep the entry count when the histogram stats allocation fails

print_entries() uses n_entries both as the number of sort entries and as
its own return value, so the -ENOMEM it stores when the stats allocation
fails overwrites the count that the cleanup still needs:

	n_entries = tracing_map_sort_entries(map, ...);
	if (n_entries < 0)
		return n_entries;
	...
			if (!stats) {
				n_entries = -ENOMEM;
				goto out;
			}
	...
 out:
	tracing_map_destroy_sort_entries(sort_entries, n_entries);

tracing_map_destroy_sort_entries() takes an unsigned int and loops up to
it, so -ENOMEM arrives as 4294967284. It walks an array of at most
map->max_elts pointers and calls destroy_sort_entry(), which dereferences
and frees, on whatever lies past the end.

Reading the hist file of a trigger with a .percent value, with that
allocation forced to fail:

  BUG: KASAN: vmalloc-out-of-bounds in tracing_map_destroy_sort_entries+0xa0/0xb0
  Read of size 8 at addr ffffc90000045000 by task init/1
   tracing_map_destroy_sort_entries+0xa0/0xb0
   hist_show+0x6f7/0x1df0
   seq_read_iter+0x2b8/0x1190
   vfs_read+0x176/0xa40
  The buggy address belongs to a 4-page vmalloc region starting at
  ffffc90000041000 allocated at tracing_map_sort_entries+0x5c/0xd50

A few pages further the fault is fatal. The registers at the oops confirm
the bound: the loop's end pointer less the array start, over the pointer
size, is 4294967284.

Return the error in a separate variable and leave n_entries holding the
count, the way tracing_map_sort_entries() does on its own error path.

The stats block is only entered for a value carrying .percent or .graph,
which __create_val_field() has rejected since v6.3, so this cannot be
reached in mainline as it stands. It becomes reachable again with
"tracing: hist: let values keep the percent and graph modifiers", so it
should be applied first.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-97920?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-97920?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-97920 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97920 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-97920 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-97920 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-2026-97920 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-2026-97920/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97920/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97920
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97920
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-97920

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97920/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.