# CVE-2026-97980: s390/debug: Fix NULL pointer dereference in debug_set_level()

> A NULL pointer dereference in the s390 debug API allows local privileged users to cause a kernel crash.

- **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:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-97980, GHSA-2pff-3q6f-mj8f, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-97980

## What is CVE-2026-97980?

CVE-2026-97980 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:

s390/debug: Fix NULL pointer dereference in debug_set_level()

Commit a2cec6863709 ("s390/debug: Add s390dbf kernel parameter")
incorrectly removed a null-id check from debug_set_level(), introducing
a possible NULL pointer dereference for debug-API users that put
debug_register() results unchecked into debug_set_level().

Fix this by moving the check from the internal _debug_set_level()
variant back to the external debug_set_level() wrapper.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-97980?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-97980?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-97980 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97980 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-97980 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-97980 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-2026-97980 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-2026-97980/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97980/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97980
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97980
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-97980

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97980/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.