# CVE-2026-97946: x86/amd_node: Fix PCI device reference counting in amd_smn_init()

> A reference counting error in the Linux kernel's AMD node driver can lead to use-after-free, allowing local attackers to cause denial of service or escalate privileges.

- **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:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-97946, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-97946, GHSA-vfm8-xw8f-q53w, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-97946

## What is CVE-2026-97946?

CVE-2026-97946 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:

x86/amd_node: Fix PCI device reference counting in amd_smn_init()

The local "root" pointer is a temporary variable used during the device
search. Therefore, refcount related to the search iterators should be cleaned
up after the search is complete.

Use the __free() cleanup macro to ensure the refcount is decremented when the
temporary pointer goes out of scope.

Additionally, increment the refcount when caching a root pointer. This ensures
the in-use refcount is separate from the temporary search refcounting.

Finally, drop the redundant "root = NULL" before the second search loop. The
pci_get_class() iterator always decrements the refcount of its "from"
argument, so the first loop can only fall through with "root" already NULL.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-97946?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-97946?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-97946 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97946 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-97946 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-97946 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-2026-97946 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-2026-97946/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97946/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97946
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97946
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-97946

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97946/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.