virtio_input: stop callbacks before unregistering input device
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
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- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 6 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: virtio_input: stop callbacks before unregistering input device virtinput_remove() unregisters the input device before resetting the virtio device. virtinput_recv_events() drops vi->lock around input_event(), so clearing vi->ready does not stop a callback that passed the entry check. It can still use vi->idev, requeue buffers and kick the queue. Reset first, as virtinput_freeze() already does. With the preceding core change, reset waits for callbacks before input_unregister_device() can free vi->idev. Recheck vi->ready after taking the lock again: keep draining completed events so an input packet is not truncated, but stop requeueing buffers and kicking the queue. With evdev attached, input_unregister_handle() currently waits for an RCU grace period, which also waits out IRQ callbacks. This masks the lifetime bug on PCI and MMIO, but does not protect sleepable callbacks on other transports.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.111, 6.18.53, 7.2.7, 7.3
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-97986
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-5v98-rq5r-8rxh
- 2026-10-03 Fix available: Linux/Linux@3ae729b1f8ab81d1244061872db2fb0ebb110d2a, Linux/[email protected], Linux/[email protected] +1 · CNA
- 2026-10-03 2 new references · CNA
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-23 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-23 CVSS score changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3ae729b1f8ab81d1244061872db2fb0ebb110d2a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/81073bca2062c916c818f2744fbab545a5c4982b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8226aeee9b9a94cd699fbb51cb230feff46cfaf2
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a3ba86a270dd87460759214046dc7cbd409ac711
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5378f7945856a5ed88e6f9850bc7a68f54090135
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d7808b37da0a619cf1fa541c2384e783fecc2480
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Sources
- CVE-2026-97986 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-97986 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-5v98-rq5r-8rxh · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-97986 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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