VulnerabilityPublished 25 Sep 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98068: Linux kernel · net/rds: don't let rds_conn_shutdown() consume a concurrent drop

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in f777c602d3e15d3414b53f760147687bd56b03f2 : patch Linux kernel 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: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 7% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in f777c602d3e15d3414b53f760147687bd56b03f2, bd1cb197a07111ca8d4f4c21411c56a3c85a9797, 2941561395066be856a53626d4ca973dd9c982b2 +5

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.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ e97656d03ca0cea888a0b9d382abce8233771f31, < f777c602d3e15d3414b53f760147687bd56b03f2	Fixed in f777c602d3e15d3414b53f760147687bd56b03f2
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ e97656d03ca0cea888a0b9d382abce8233771f31, < bd1cb197a07111ca8d4f4c21411c56a3c85a9797	Fixed in bd1cb197a07111ca8d4f4c21411c56a3c85a9797
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ e97656d03ca0cea888a0b9d382abce8233771f31, < 2941561395066be856a53626d4ca973dd9c982b2	Fixed in 2941561395066be856a53626d4ca973dd9c982b2
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ e97656d03ca0cea888a0b9d382abce8233771f31, < 4980ce260205001d582a7b3cb5eab29877777fbc	Fixed in 4980ce260205001d582a7b3cb5eab29877777fbc
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ e97656d03ca0cea888a0b9d382abce8233771f31, < 260c6308fe2e19ad519389d44d582e292aecc3af	Fixed in 260c6308fe2e19ad519389d44d582e292aecc3af
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ e97656d03ca0cea888a0b9d382abce8233771f31, < 7cb11257aa3e5ef0bedfd5d55ac60bb00347aa97	Fixed in 7cb11257aa3e5ef0bedfd5d55ac60bb00347aa97

AI-suggested

A fix is available and has been applied in the Linux kernel after version 4.12. Users and administrators should update to a fixed kernel version incorporating the patches identified by the listed commit hashes. No additional mitigation actions are required beyond applying the official fix.

Description

CVE-2026-98068 is a vulnerability in the Linux kernel's RDS networking subsystem where a race condition in connection shutdown handling can cause a socket to remain established indefinitely. This occurs when concurrent drops and shutdown passes interfere, leaving the path stuck in a down state with an active socket that is never properly torn down. The issue can cause receive queues to grow without being processed and the peer's send path to become blocked. The vulnerability affects Linux kernel version 4.12 and has been fixed in subsequent commits.

Impact

The vulnerability can cause a socket to remain established indefinitely without being properly torn down, leading to an ever-growing receive queue on the affected socket and blocking the peer's send path. This results in resource exhaustion and potential denial of service on the affected system. The peer sees a connection that appears established but is effectively stalled, which can disrupt communication relying on the RDS protocol.

Summary

The vulnerability involves the rds_conn_shutdown() function in the Linux kernel's RDS subsystem, which improperly handles concurrent drops during connection teardown. Specifically, rds_conn_shutdown() transitions a connection path state from DISCONNECTING to DOWN but also accepts an ERROR state that can cause it to consume a concurrent drop's shutdown pass prematurely. This leads to a scenario where a newly accepted socket is installed while a teardown pass is still running, resulting in the socket never being torn down and the path remaining wedged in the DOWN state. The fix restricts the final state transition to only occur from DISCONNECTING to DOWN and ensures that if the path is in ERROR state, the reconnect timer is canceled and the queued drop pass completes the teardown properly. This prevents the socket from being left in an established but unusable state.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Oct 2026, 12:51 UTC

Technical details

References

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