CVE-2026-98120: Linux kernel · netfs: Fix subreq ref leak
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC
Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 5% 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
The vulnerability has been resolved in the specified linux-hwe-edge kernel versions. Users should apply the official kernel updates that include the fix. Since this is a kernel-level fix, upgrading to the patched versions is the recommended remediation.
Description
A subrequest reference leak vulnerability was identified and fixed in the Linux kernel's netfs component, specifically in the netfs_unbuffered_write() function when subreq->io_iter becomes zero length during preparation. This issue affects specific versions of the linux-hwe-edge kernel. The vulnerability has been resolved in these versions.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-98120 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98120 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/0a573f4283a965a5e8716f621aec404cb4575328 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c30087e27598d9d359763e8be9bd3017fe08348 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/ebefb12122d1319257ecac01c1a928f78007716a (opens in a new tab)