{"api_version":"1","generated_at":"2026-09-26T20:44:26+00:00","cve":"CVE-2026-97420","urls":{"html":"https://cve.report/CVE-2026-97420","api":"https://cve.report/api/cve/CVE-2026-97420.json","docs":"https://cve.report/api","cve_org":"https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97420","nvd":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97420"},"summary":{"title":"bpf: NUL-terminate replaced sysctl value","description":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nbpf: NUL-terminate replaced sysctl value\n\nWhen writing to sysctls, proc_sys_call_handler() guarantees that the\nbuffer passed to proc handlers is NUL-terminated. If\nbpf_sysctl_set_new_value() replaces the pending sysctl value, it can\nhand a replacement buffer directly to proc handlers. However, the\nhelper currently copies only buf_len bytes into that buffer without\nappending a NUL terminator, leaving downstream parsers vulnerable to\nout-of-bounds access.\n\nFix this by appending a '\\0' after the replaced value to restore the\nexpected sysctl semantics. Since the helper already rejects buf_len\ngreater than PAGE_SIZE - 1, there is always room for the extra byte.\n\nReproduced in a QEMU x86_64 guest booted with KASAN while exercising\nthe sysctl replacement path with a cgroup/sysctl BPF program. The\nreproducer targets `/proc/sys/net/core/flow_limit_cpu_bitmap`, fills\nthe original user write buffer with non-zero bytes, and overrides the\nsysctl value so the replacement buffer lacks a terminating NUL. Under\nthat setup, the pre-fix kernel reported:\n\n  BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in strnchrnul+0x72/0x90\n  Read of size 1 at addr ffff88800de57000 by task repro_patch3/66\n  CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 66 Comm: repro_patch3 Not tainted 7.1.0-rc3-00269-g8370ca1f87cc #6 PREEMPT(lazy)\n  Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.15.0-1 04/01/2014\n  Call Trace:\n   <TASK>\n   dump_stack_lvl+0x68/0xa0\n   print_report+0xcb/0x5e0\n   ? __virt_addr_valid+0x21d/0x3f0\n   ? strnchrnul+0x72/0x90\n   ? strnchrnul+0x72/0x90\n   kasan_report+0xca/0x100\n   ? strnchrnul+0x72/0x90\n   strnchrnul+0x72/0x90\n   bitmap_parse+0x37/0x2e0\n   flow_limit_cpu_sysctl+0xc6/0x840\n   ? __pfx_flow_limit_cpu_sysctl+0x10/0x10\n   ? __kvmalloc_node_noprof+0x5ba/0x870\n   proc_sys_call_handler+0x31d/0x480\n   ? __pfx_proc_sys_call_handler+0x10/0x10\n   ? selinux_file_permission+0x39f/0x500\n   ? lock_is_held_type+0x9e/0x120\n   vfs_write+0x98e/0x1000\n   ...\n   </TASK>\n  The buggy address is located 0 bytes to the right of\n  allocated 4096-byte region [ffff88800de56000, ffff88800de57000)\nWith this fix applied, rerunning the same sysctl-targeted path yields\nno corresponding KASAN reports.","state":"PUBLISHED","assigner":"Linux","published_at":"2026-09-24 17:17:19","updated_at":"2026-09-25 13:17:25"},"problem_types":[],"metrics":[],"references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a66e3b5bacf38d6ab29fa05a9754f7a114485605","name":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a66e3b5bacf38d6ab29fa05a9754f7a114485605","refsource":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","tags":[],"title":"","mime":"","httpstatus":"","archivestatus":"0"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b2814dd842a565fcf9cc370156e1ba9eae16239","name":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b2814dd842a565fcf9cc370156e1ba9eae16239","refsource":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","tags":[],"title":"","mime":"","httpstatus":"","archivestatus":"0"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/76c14b10f50eb0afcc76e244562fa2d8c661e224","name":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/76c14b10f50eb0afcc76e244562fa2d8c661e224","refsource":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","tags":[],"title":"","mime":"","httpstatus":"","archivestatus":"0"},{"url":"https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97420","name":"CVE Program record","refsource":"CVE.ORG","tags":["canonical"]},{"url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97420","name":"NVD vulnerability detail","refsource":"NVD","tags":["canonical","analysis"]}],"affected":[{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected 32927393dc1ccd60fb2bdc05b9e8e88753761469 76c14b10f50eb0afcc76e244562fa2d8c661e224 git","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected 32927393dc1ccd60fb2bdc05b9e8e88753761469 3b2814dd842a565fcf9cc370156e1ba9eae16239 git","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected 32927393dc1ccd60fb2bdc05b9e8e88753761469 a66e3b5bacf38d6ab29fa05a9754f7a114485605 git","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"affected 5.8","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"unaffected 5.8 semver","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"unaffected 6.12.111 6.12.* semver","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"unaffected 6.18.53 6.18.* semver","platforms":[]},{"source":"CNA","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","version":"unaffected 7.2 * original_commit_for_fix","platforms":[]}],"timeline":[],"solutions":[],"workarounds":[],"exploits":[],"credits":[],"nvd_cpes":[],"vendor_comments":[],"enrichments":{"kev":null,"epss":{"cve_year":"2026","cve_id":"97420","cve":"CVE-2026-97420","epss":"0.001660000","percentile":"0.051950000","score_date":"2026-09-25","updated_at":"2026-09-26 00:06:17"},"legacy_qids":[]},"source_records":{"cve_program":{"containers":{"cna":{"affected":[{"defaultStatus":"unaffected","product":"Linux","programFiles":["kernel/bpf/cgroup.c"],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","vendor":"Linux","versions":[{"lessThan":"76c14b10f50eb0afcc76e244562fa2d8c661e224","status":"affected","version":"32927393dc1ccd60fb2bdc05b9e8e88753761469","versionType":"git"},{"lessThan":"3b2814dd842a565fcf9cc370156e1ba9eae16239","status":"affected","version":"32927393dc1ccd60fb2bdc05b9e8e88753761469","versionType":"git"},{"lessThan":"a66e3b5bacf38d6ab29fa05a9754f7a114485605","status":"affected","version":"32927393dc1ccd60fb2bdc05b9e8e88753761469","versionType":"git"}]},{"defaultStatus":"affected","product":"Linux","programFiles":["kernel/bpf/cgroup.c"],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","vendor":"Linux","versions":[{"status":"affected","version":"5.8"},{"lessThan":"5.8","status":"unaffected","version":"0","versionType":"semver"},{"lessThanOrEqual":"6.12.*","status":"unaffected","version":"6.12.111","versionType":"semver"},{"lessThanOrEqual":"6.18.*","status":"unaffected","version":"6.18.53","versionType":"semver"},{"lessThanOrEqual":"*","status":"unaffected","version":"7.2","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}]}],"cpeApplicability":[{"nodes":[{"cpeMatch":[{"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionEndExcluding":"6.12.111","versionStartIncluding":"5.8","vulnerable":true},{"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionEndExcluding":"6.18.53","versionStartIncluding":"5.8","vulnerable":true},{"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionEndExcluding":"7.2","versionStartIncluding":"5.8","vulnerable":true}],"negate":false,"operator":"OR"}]}],"descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nbpf: NUL-terminate replaced sysctl value\n\nWhen writing to sysctls, proc_sys_call_handler() guarantees that the\nbuffer passed to proc handlers is NUL-terminated. If\nbpf_sysctl_set_new_value() replaces the pending sysctl value, it can\nhand a replacement buffer directly to proc handlers. However, the\nhelper currently copies only buf_len bytes into that buffer without\nappending a NUL terminator, leaving downstream parsers vulnerable to\nout-of-bounds access.\n\nFix this by appending a '\\0' after the replaced value to restore the\nexpected sysctl semantics. Since the helper already rejects buf_len\ngreater than PAGE_SIZE - 1, there is always room for the extra byte.\n\nReproduced in a QEMU x86_64 guest booted with KASAN while exercising\nthe sysctl replacement path with a cgroup/sysctl BPF program. The\nreproducer targets `/proc/sys/net/core/flow_limit_cpu_bitmap`, fills\nthe original user write buffer with non-zero bytes, and overrides the\nsysctl value so the replacement buffer lacks a terminating NUL. Under\nthat setup, the pre-fix kernel reported:\n\n  BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in strnchrnul+0x72/0x90\n  Read of size 1 at addr ffff88800de57000 by task repro_patch3/66\n  CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 66 Comm: repro_patch3 Not tainted 7.1.0-rc3-00269-g8370ca1f87cc #6 PREEMPT(lazy)\n  Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.15.0-1 04/01/2014\n  Call Trace:\n   <TASK>\n   dump_stack_lvl+0x68/0xa0\n   print_report+0xcb/0x5e0\n   ? __virt_addr_valid+0x21d/0x3f0\n   ? strnchrnul+0x72/0x90\n   ? strnchrnul+0x72/0x90\n   kasan_report+0xca/0x100\n   ? strnchrnul+0x72/0x90\n   strnchrnul+0x72/0x90\n   bitmap_parse+0x37/0x2e0\n   flow_limit_cpu_sysctl+0xc6/0x840\n   ? __pfx_flow_limit_cpu_sysctl+0x10/0x10\n   ? __kvmalloc_node_noprof+0x5ba/0x870\n   proc_sys_call_handler+0x31d/0x480\n   ? __pfx_proc_sys_call_handler+0x10/0x10\n   ? selinux_file_permission+0x39f/0x500\n   ? lock_is_held_type+0x9e/0x120\n   vfs_write+0x98e/0x1000\n   ...\n   </TASK>\n  The buggy address is located 0 bytes to the right of\n  allocated 4096-byte region [ffff88800de56000, ffff88800de57000)\nWith this fix applied, rerunning the same sysctl-targeted path yields\nno corresponding KASAN reports."}],"providerMetadata":{"dateUpdated":"2026-09-25T12:43:55.707Z","orgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","shortName":"Linux"},"references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/76c14b10f50eb0afcc76e244562fa2d8c661e224"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b2814dd842a565fcf9cc370156e1ba9eae16239"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a66e3b5bacf38d6ab29fa05a9754f7a114485605"}],"title":"bpf: NUL-terminate replaced sysctl value","x_generator":{"engine":"bippy-1.2.0"}}},"cveMetadata":{"assignerOrgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","assignerShortName":"Linux","cveId":"CVE-2026-97420","datePublished":"2026-09-24T16:03:30.084Z","dateReserved":"2026-09-24T14:53:16.868Z","dateUpdated":"2026-09-25T12:43:55.707Z","state":"PUBLISHED"},"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.2"},"nvd":{"publishedDate":"2026-09-24 17:17:19","lastModifiedDate":"2026-09-25 13:17:25","problem_types":[],"metrics":[],"configurations":[]},"legacy_mitre":{"record":{"CveYear":"2026","CveId":"97420","Ordinal":"1","Title":"bpf: NUL-terminate replaced sysctl value","CVE":"CVE-2026-97420","Year":"2026"},"notes":[{"CveYear":"2026","CveId":"97420","Ordinal":"1","NoteData":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nbpf: NUL-terminate replaced sysctl value\n\nWhen writing to sysctls, proc_sys_call_handler() guarantees that the\nbuffer passed to proc handlers is NUL-terminated. If\nbpf_sysctl_set_new_value() replaces the pending sysctl value, it can\nhand a replacement buffer directly to proc handlers. However, the\nhelper currently copies only buf_len bytes into that buffer without\nappending a NUL terminator, leaving downstream parsers vulnerable to\nout-of-bounds access.\n\nFix this by appending a '\\0' after the replaced value to restore the\nexpected sysctl semantics. Since the helper already rejects buf_len\ngreater than PAGE_SIZE - 1, there is always room for the extra byte.\n\nReproduced in a QEMU x86_64 guest booted with KASAN while exercising\nthe sysctl replacement path with a cgroup/sysctl BPF program. The\nreproducer targets `/proc/sys/net/core/flow_limit_cpu_bitmap`, fills\nthe original user write buffer with non-zero bytes, and overrides the\nsysctl value so the replacement buffer lacks a terminating NUL. Under\nthat setup, the pre-fix kernel reported:\n\n  BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in strnchrnul+0x72/0x90\n  Read of size 1 at addr ffff88800de57000 by task repro_patch3/66\n  CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 66 Comm: repro_patch3 Not tainted 7.1.0-rc3-00269-g8370ca1f87cc #6 PREEMPT(lazy)\n  Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.15.0-1 04/01/2014\n  Call Trace:\n   <TASK>\n   dump_stack_lvl+0x68/0xa0\n   print_report+0xcb/0x5e0\n   ? __virt_addr_valid+0x21d/0x3f0\n   ? strnchrnul+0x72/0x90\n   ? strnchrnul+0x72/0x90\n   kasan_report+0xca/0x100\n   ? strnchrnul+0x72/0x90\n   strnchrnul+0x72/0x90\n   bitmap_parse+0x37/0x2e0\n   flow_limit_cpu_sysctl+0xc6/0x840\n   ? __pfx_flow_limit_cpu_sysctl+0x10/0x10\n   ? __kvmalloc_node_noprof+0x5ba/0x870\n   proc_sys_call_handler+0x31d/0x480\n   ? __pfx_proc_sys_call_handler+0x10/0x10\n   ? selinux_file_permission+0x39f/0x500\n   ? lock_is_held_type+0x9e/0x120\n   vfs_write+0x98e/0x1000\n   ...\n   </TASK>\n  The buggy address is located 0 bytes to the right of\n  allocated 4096-byte region [ffff88800de56000, ffff88800de57000)\nWith this fix applied, rerunning the same sysctl-targeted path yields\nno corresponding KASAN reports.","Type":"Description","Title":"bpf: NUL-terminate replaced sysctl value"}]}}}