CVE-2026-97904
Received Received - Intake

Race Condition in Linux Kernel cpufreq Subsystem

Publication date: 2026-09-25

Last updated on: 2026-09-25

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cpufreq: initialize policy rwsem before sysfs publication cpufreq_policy_alloc() initializes policy->rwsem after kobject_init_and_add() has created the policy sysfs directory and its default attributes. A sysfs access can therefore reach a policy callback before the semaphore has been initialized. Initialize policy->rwsem before publishing the policy kobject so sysfs callbacks always see an initialized semaphore.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-25
Last Modified
2026-09-25
Generated
2026-09-25
AI Q&A
2026-09-25
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-97904
EUVD
EUVD-2026-86758

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel *

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Exploitability

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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves a race condition where the cpufreq policy rwsem semaphore is initialized after the policy sysfs directory is created. This allows sysfs access to trigger policy callbacks before the semaphore is ready, potentially leading to undefined behavior or crashes.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's cpufreq subsystem and does not have a direct network detection method. To check if your system is affected, verify the kernel version and look for the presence of the vulnerable code path in the cpufreq policy initialization. Use commands like 'uname -a' to check the kernel version and inspect kernel logs for related errors.

Impact Analysis

The vulnerability could cause system instability, crashes, or unexpected behavior when accessing CPU frequency scaling features via sysfs. This may lead to performance issues or denial of service on affected systems.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest kernel update provided by your Linux distribution to patch this vulnerability. If an update is not immediately available, consider disabling the cpufreq subsystem temporarily or restricting access to sysfs entries related to cpufreq policies as a workaround.

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