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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-98040: Linux kernel · bpf: Mark the zero register precise for a register-form NULL check

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited : upgrade to ddca9a3b8833168dda3e62676648a636fb3f221c or 6aed0134d3cda6382385a734ae0158eb7df6b142 soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

Severity
High

Rated High by Threat Radar's AI analysis · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS
0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 10% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in ddca9a3b8833168dda3e62676648a636fb3f221c, 6aed0134d3cda6382385a734ae0158eb7df6b142

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 25 Sep 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq 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

Upgrade Linux kernel to ddca9a3b8833168dda3e62676648a636fb3f221c or 6aed0134d3cda6382385a734ae0158eb7df6b142.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 2f4cb53eed448c1aeb6f4b40cf9c810716d8218c, < ddca9a3b8833168dda3e62676648a636fb3f221c
Fixed in
  • ddca9a3b8833168dda3e62676648a636fb3f221c
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 2f4cb53eed448c1aeb6f4b40cf9c810716d8218c, < 6aed0134d3cda6382385a734ae0158eb7df6b142
Fixed in
  • 6aed0134d3cda6382385a734ae0158eb7df6b142
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • =7.1
Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix is available and has been applied in the Linux kernel commits ddca9a3b8833168dda3e62676648a636fb3f221c and 6aed0134d3cda6382385a734ae0158eb7df6b142. Users and administrators should update to a Linux kernel version that includes these fixes to mitigate the vulnerability.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's BPF verifier allows improper handling of NULL checks involving the zero register. This flaw can cause the verifier to incorrectly accept a program path where a pointer is dereferenced despite being NULL at runtime, potentially leading to a NULL pointer dereference.

References

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