# CVE-2026-97935: tracing: Set the trace clock before registering the histogram trigger

> A use-after-free in the Linux kernel tracing subsystem allows local attackers with high privileges to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges via histogram triggers.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **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-104718, BELL-CVE-2026-97935, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-97935, GHSA-p8vq-x7mj-pgvj, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-97935

## What is CVE-2026-97935?

CVE-2026-97935 is an 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:

tracing: Set the trace clock before registering the histogram trigger

hist_register_trigger() puts the trigger on the global named_triggers
list in cmd_ops->init(), and only then sets the trace clock:

	if (data->cmd_ops->init) {
		ret = data->cmd_ops->init(data);
		if (ret < 0)
			goto out;
	}

	if (hist_data->enable_timestamps) {
		ret = tracing_set_clock(file->tr, hist_data->attrs->clock);
		if (ret) {
			hist_err(tr, HIST_ERR_SET_CLOCK_FAIL, errpos(clock));
			goto out;
		}

The clock string is not checked anywhere before that call, so a named
trigger using common_timestamp with an unknown clock fails after it has
already become findable. event_hist_trigger_parse() then frees it
without taking it off the list, and the next lookup by name reads the
freed object:

 ~# cd /sys/kernel/tracing/events/sched/sched_switch
 ~# echo 'hist:name=foo:keys=common_pid:ts=common_timestamp:clock=bogus' > trigger
 bash: echo: write error: Invalid argument
 ~# echo 'hist:name=foo:keys=common_pid' > trigger

  BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in find_named_trigger+0xac/0xc0
  Read of size 8 at addr ffff88800915d760 by task init/1
   find_named_trigger+0xac/0xc0
   hist_register_trigger+0xc1/0x900
   event_hist_trigger_parse+0x3146/0x6af0
   event_trigger_write+0xce/0x160
  Freed by task 63:
   kfree+0x154/0x420
   trigger_kthread_fn+0xfd/0x160

Set the clock before the trigger is registered, so that nothing which
can fail runs after it is published, the way commit 6f86bdeab633
("tracing: Fix bad hist from corrupting named_triggers list") moved the
registration below the rest of the setup.

tracing_set_filter_buffering() is reference counted, so the init failure
path has to drop the reference that the clock block now takes first.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-97935?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-97935?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-97935 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97935 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-97935 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-97935 is an 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97935 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-2026-97935/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97935/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97935
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97935
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-97935

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97935/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.