# CVE-2026-98205: Input: evdev - zero absinfo before partial copy in EVIOCSABS

> A local attacker can read uninitialized kernel stack memory via the evdev EVIOCSABS ioctl, potentially disclosing sensitive information.

- **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:** 6 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-106137, BELL-CVE-2026-98205, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98205, GHSA-jw64-9g8w-pg6v, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98205

## What is CVE-2026-98205?

CVE-2026-98205 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 6 Oct 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:

Input: evdev - zero absinfo before partial copy in EVIOCSABS

The EVIOCSABS handler copies at most the user supplied ioctl size into
an uninitialized on-stack struct input_absinfo:

	if (copy_from_user(&abs, p, min_t(size_t,
			size, sizeof(struct input_absinfo))))

The size comes from _IOC_SIZE() of the ioctl command and is therefore
fully controlled by userspace. A short size leaves the trailing part of
the structure holding whatever was on the kernel stack, and the whole
structure is then stored into the device:

	dev->absinfo[t] = abs;

EVIOCGABS hands that back to userspace, disclosing the stale stack
bytes. Only the resolution field is currently cleared, which covers the
legacy struct layout but not an arbitrarily short size.

Zero the structure before the copy so any part not supplied by the
caller reads back as zero. The existing resolution fixup is kept, since
it also handles a size that partially overlaps that field.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98205?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-98205?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98205 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98205 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98205 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98205 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 6 Oct 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-2026-98205 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-2026-98205/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98205/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98205
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98205
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98205

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98205/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.