CVE-2026-97985

What it is

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: af_unix: Update last skb marker in manage_oob(). Fahad Alharbi reported that blocking recv(MSG_PEEK) could hog CPU due to OOB skb. In the following cases, manage_oob() skips OOB skb(s) and returns NULL for the last recv(MSG_PEEK): socketpair(AF_UNIX, SOCK_STREAM, 0, sk); 1) skb -> OOB skb -> NULL send(sk[0], "ab", 2, MSG_OOB); recv(sk[1], buf, 0, MSG_PEEK); 2) skb -> consumed OOB skb -> NULL send(sk[0], "ab", 2, MSG_OOB); recv(sk[1], buf, 1, MSG_OOB); recv(sk[1], buf, 0, MSG_PEEK); 3) consumed OOB skb -> OOB skb -> NULL send(sk[0], "a", 1, MSG_OOB); recv(sk[1], buf, 0, MSG_OOB); send(sk[0], "b", 1, MSG_OOB); recv(sk[1], buf, 1, MSG_PEEK); Then, @copied is 0 in unix_stream_read_generic() (zero-length buffer, or non-OOB skb is not yet consumed), and unix_stream_data_wait() is called. However, it returns immediately because @last is not updated in unix_stream_read_generic(), and the thread busy-waits for a new skb. Let's update @last in manage_oob(). For MSG_PEEK, @last is updated with the skipped OOB, and for the non-peek case, @last matches the returned value (when !copied) because OOB is unlinked. Note that manage_oob() is inlined and no stack canary is added.

At a glance

Exploit odds

0.2% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).

Fix

No patch or advisory is linked yet. Look at mitigations or restrict exposure.

Timeline

1. 2026-09-25 11:17 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2. 2026-10-21 13:21 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

• Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
• Exploit odds: 0.2% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
• Severity: not scored yet.
• Fix: none linked yet, which raises it.

Details

Published

2026-09-25 11:17 UTC

Last modified

2026-10-21 13:21 UTC

Exploit probability

0.2% · EPSS, next 30 days

Record status

Received

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