# CVE-2026-97987: virtio_input: reset device if input_register_device() fails

> A race condition in the Linux kernel virtio_input driver allows device state corruption if input registration fails, potentially causing a denial of service.

- **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:** AZL-104318, BELL-CVE-2026-97987, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-97987, GHSA-6x39-q2c6-8xg8, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-97987

## What is CVE-2026-97987?

CVE-2026-97987 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:

virtio_input: reset device if input_register_device() fails

Probe marks the device DRIVER_OK with virtio_device_ready() before
calling input_register_device(). If registration fails, the error path
cleared vi->ready and called del_vqs() while the device was still live,
so the device could keep DMA to queues that were already torn down.

Match remove/freeze: call virtio_reset_device() on that path before
tearing down the virtqueues.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-97987?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-97987?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-97987 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97987 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-97987 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-97987 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-2026-97987 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-2026-97987/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97987/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97987
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97987
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-97987

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97987/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.