CVE-2026-97944: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: x86/cfi: Fix FineIBT hash offset in cfi_get_func_hash() The switch of the FineIBT preamble

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: x86/cfi: Fix FineIBT hash offset in cfi_get_func_hash() The switch of the FineIBT preamble

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: x86/cfi: Fix FineIBT hash offset in cfi_get_func_hash() The switch of the FineIBT preamble from "subl $hash, %r10d" to the shorter "subl $hash, %eax" moved the hash immediate from offset 7 to offset 5 of the preamble. fineibt_preamble_hash was updated to match, but the open-coded offset in cfi_get_func_hash() was missed and it still reads the hash at offset 7. cfi_get_func_hash() is used by the BPF JIT to give a struct_ops trampoline the CFI hash of the stub function it stands in for. With FineIBT the trampoline now gets the upper half of the real hash followed by the first two bytes of the next instruction, so the first indirect call from the kernel into a struct_ops program, tcp_init_congestion_control() calling ->init() of a BPF congestion control for example, fails the FineIBT check and the kernel dies with a CFI failure. Move the FineIBT preamble template and its offset defines above cfi_get_func_hash() and use fineibt_preamble_hash there, so every reader of the preamble shares one definition of its layout. The CFI_FINEIBT arm is only built with CONFIG_FINEIBT, the only configuration in which cfi_mode can

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.17%, higher than 5% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

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Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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