CVE-2026-97686
Received Received - Intake

Memory Leak in Wind River VxWorks 7

Publication date: 2026-09-28

Last updated on: 2026-09-28

Assigner: WindRiver

Description
Wind River VxWorks 7 prior to 26.09, specific system call arguments can result in the IPNET subsystem failing to properly release allocated kernel memory and system file descriptors before terminating the calling application. Fixed in Version 26.09.  Security Researcher: Zhi Yang Bingren Wu Finding

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
Percentile:

Meta Information

Published
2026-09-28
Last Modified
2026-09-28
Generated
2026-09-28
AI Q&A
2026-09-28
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-97686
EUVD
EUVD-2026-88440

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
wind_river vxworks to 26.09 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
CWE Icon
KEV
KEV Icon
CWE ID Description
CWE-772 The product does not release a resource after its effective lifetime has ended, i.e., after the resource is no longer needed.

Attack-Flow Graph

AI Quick Actions

Instant insights powered by AI
Executive Summary

Wind River VxWorks 7 versions before 26.09 have a flaw where certain system call arguments cause the IPNET subsystem to fail to release kernel memory and file descriptors when terminating an application. This leads to resource leaks.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to Wind River VxWorks 7 versions prior to 26.09. Detection involves checking the installed version of VxWorks on your system. Use the command 'vxWorksVersion' or check system logs for version information. If the version is below 26.09, the system is vulnerable.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can cause system resource exhaustion over time due to unreleased memory and file descriptors. It may lead to performance degradation or application crashes, particularly in long-running systems.

Compliance Impact

The vulnerability involves improper release of kernel memory and file descriptors in Wind River VxWorks 7 prior to 26.09, which could lead to resource exhaustion or instability. This may impact compliance with standards like GDPR or HIPAA by potentially causing system failures or data processing disruptions, though specific regulatory impacts depend on deployment context.

Mitigation Strategies

Update Wind River VxWorks to version 26.09 or later to address the kernel memory and file descriptor leak issue in the IPNET subsystem.

Chat Assistant

Ask questions about this CVE
Hi! I’m here to help you understand CVE-2026-97686. Ask me anything about the vulnerability, its impact, or mitigation strategies.
0/70

EPSS Chart