CVE-2026-97472

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: addrconf: fix temp address generation after prefix deprecation When a router temporarily deprecates an IPv6 prefix (either by sending a Router Advertisement with Preferred Lifetime = 0 or by letting the lifetime expire) and later restores it, the kernel permanently loses its ability to generate temporary privacy addresses (RFC 8981) for that prefix. This happens because the address worker attempts to generate a replacement temporary address when the current one nears expiration. As the base prefix is deprecated already, the generation fails after marking the temporary address as already having spawned a replacement (ifp->regen_count++). When the router eventually restores the prefix, the temporary address becomes active again. However, once it naturally expires, the address worker sees this temporary address already tried to generate one and skips the regeneration. Fix the issue by resetting the regen_count check of the latest temp address generated for the prefix updated by the incoming RA.

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EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0017

Probability of exploitation

0.06%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

References

Other References

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4df5597c65446135362f72880995e8920f058fa0 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bff7b87dfa28a1502c18d0c6f1fadda5162fa854 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e20d8922aa8fe441d291364c96c2179a005b79ea

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-97472? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: addrconf: fix temp address generation after prefix deprecation When a router temporarily deprecates an IPv6 prefix (either by sending a Router Advertisement with Preferred Lifetime = 0 or by letting the lifetime expire) and later restores it, the kernel permanently loses its ability to generate temporary privacy addresses (RFC 8981) for that prefix. This happens because the address worker attempts to generate a replacement temporary address when the current one nears expiration. As the base prefix is deprecated already, the generation fails after marking the temporary address as already having spawned a replacement (ifp->regen_count++). When the router eventually restores the prefix, the temporary address becomes active again. However, once it naturally expires, the address worker sees this temporary address already tried to generate one and skips the regeneration. Fix the issue by resetting the regen_count check of the latest temp address generated for the prefix updated by the incoming RA.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-97472? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.