CVE-2026-98039: Linux kernel · bpf: Require MEM_PERCPU for percpu kptr stores
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:30 UTC
Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Exploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Sep 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gkepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel to require the source MEM_PERCPU flag to match the destination field kind in BPF per-CPU pointer stores. Users should apply the official kernel updates that include this fix. Since this is a kernel-level vulnerability, updating to a patched kernel version is the recommended remediation. No alternative mitigations are indicated.
Description
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's BPF subsystem related to per-CPU pointer storage was resolved. The issue involved improper handling of the MEM_PERCPU flag in map_kptr_match_type(), allowing incorrect acceptance of certain allocations that could lead to arbitrary kernel read/write or invalid pointer relocation. The fix requires the source MEM_PERCPU flag to match the destination field kind, preserving valid per-CPU object stores and rejecting invalid variants.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-98039 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98039 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/ad4ebae5dbc2d47b544aa54f03c12490065be08a (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/048029ba1c793f8cabc4ad5eea765da01903f8f1 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/aaa9cf7707d1c5c0d2ca9d40c8b71652ac1c3c3f (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/0bdd6121c8dd5f1764efe701ce26bb8e15acb172 (opens in a new tab)