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
Published: 2026-09-28
Score: 5.5 Medium
EPSS: n/a
KEV: No
Impact: Resource Exhaustion due to Memory and File Descriptor Leak
Action: Apply Patch
AI Analysis

Impact

Wind River VxWorks 7 versions earlier than 26.09 contain a flaw where certain system call arguments can cause the IPNET subsystem to fail to release kernel memory and system file descriptors during application termination. The leak can accumulate over time, exhausting available memory and descriptor resources, which may ultimately lead to application or system crashes and denial of service.

Affected Systems

Wind River’s VxWorks 7 operating system, specifically all versions preceding 26.09. No additional vendor or product variants are cited in the CVE record.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 5.5 classifies the flaw as moderate severity. EPSS data is not available, and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA’s KEV catalog, indicating limited publicly known exploitation. Based on the description, the likely attack vector involves sending crafted system call arguments to the vulnerable IPNET subsystem, which may be reachable locally or remotely depending on the deployment context of VxWorks 7.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 28, 2026 at 20:26 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Upgrade VxWorks 7 to version 26.09 or later, which incorporates the fix for the memory and descriptor leak.
  • If an upgrade is not feasible, restrict or isolate the use of the affected system calls and confine the IPNET subsystem to a hardened environment to reduce exposure.
  • Monitor memory usage and file descriptor counts for sudden increases, and configure alerts to detect anomalies that may indicate exploitation attempts.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 28, 2026 at 20:26 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

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History

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 20:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
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
Title VxWorks 7 Memory Resource leak
Weaknesses CWE-772
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

Subscriptions

No data.

cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: WindRiver

Published:

Updated: 2026-09-28T19:25:43.054Z

Reserved: 2026-09-24T21:12:17.354Z

Link: CVE-2026-97686

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-09-28T19:25:39.857Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Awaiting Analysis

Published: 2026-09-28T19:16:50.867

Modified: 2026-09-28T20:47:20.760

Link: CVE-2026-97686

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-09-28T20:30:06Z

Weaknesses
  • CWE-772

    Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime