CVE-2026-98163: Linux kernel · Race Condition
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 1% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 26 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 is available that adds checks to skip tasks with zero usage count during iteration over dying tasks in the cgroup subsystem. Users should apply the updated Linux kernel versions that include this patch to mitigate the vulnerability. Since this is a kernel-level issue, upgrading to a patched kernel version is the recommended remediation.
Description
A race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's cgroup subsystem involving iteration over dying tasks with zero reference count has been resolved. The issue arises because iterators may attempt to access tasks that have already been freed, leading to potential use-after-free scenarios. The fix adds checks to skip tasks whose usage count has dropped to zero during iteration, preventing unsafe resurrection of such tasks.
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98163 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/057dac23d329d5c5ed62352f2659a39fd46c6d4a (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/828938118d6c2bb711301748c3e39e4bed6a62f5 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-98163 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98163 (opens in a new tab)