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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-98251: Linux kernel · openvswitch: avoid reallocating confirmed conntrack labels

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High · fixed in d16f089bd700f45d720ce989d5495e1dc3be0cf8 : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 2% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in d16f089bd700f45d720ce989d5495e1dc3be0cf8, 4371d79ea74407fb992c985b1f94391e35bb8289, 579d87ec1e1e85729a6cb2c25961e58beb78640c +5
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 6 Oct 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 to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ c2ac667358708d7cce64c78f58af6adf4c1e848b, < d16f089bd700f45d720ce989d5495e1dc3be0cf8
Fixed in
  • d16f089bd700f45d720ce989d5495e1dc3be0cf8
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ c2ac667358708d7cce64c78f58af6adf4c1e848b, < 4371d79ea74407fb992c985b1f94391e35bb8289
Fixed in
  • 4371d79ea74407fb992c985b1f94391e35bb8289
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ c2ac667358708d7cce64c78f58af6adf4c1e848b, < 579d87ec1e1e85729a6cb2c25961e58beb78640c
Fixed in
  • 579d87ec1e1e85729a6cb2c25961e58beb78640c
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ c2ac667358708d7cce64c78f58af6adf4c1e848b, < 8c9fcc6c33950d3db551af664d1fd3d998bfee56
Fixed in
  • 8c9fcc6c33950d3db551af664d1fd3d998bfee56
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ c2ac667358708d7cce64c78f58af6adf4c1e848b, < 7ff688aceada1160331a789385ea146f62fbddf7
Fixed in
  • 7ff688aceada1160331a789385ea146f62fbddf7
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ c2ac667358708d7cce64c78f58af6adf4c1e848b, < 05eab8dced6bf4d3009a6eeee16ddac99047dc83
Fixed in
  • 05eab8dced6bf4d3009a6eeee16ddac99047dc83

AI-suggested

This vulnerability has been fixed in the Linux kernel commits identified by hashes d16f089bd700f45d720ce989d5495e1dc3be0cf8, 4371d79ea74407fb992c985b1f94391e35bb8289, 579d87ec1e1e85729a6cb2c25961e58beb78640c, 8c9fcc6c33950d3db551af664d1fd3d998bfee56, 7ff688aceada1160331a789385ea146f62fbddf7, 05eab8dced6bf4d3009a6eeee16ddac99047dc83, 3f118c8217c109fd13ca61caa301d72c483897ef, and 2e6dd889c325abf23821e1459c3ffef59b7f0009. Users should update their Linux kernel to versions including these fixes to remediate the issue. Patch status is confirmed by these fixed commits.

Description

CVE-2026-98251 is a high-severity vulnerability in the Linux kernel's openvswitch component. It involves improper handling of conntrack labels where confirmed conntrack entries may have their label extensions reallocated concurrently, leading to potential memory corruption. The flaw is addressed by restricting label extension allocation to unconfirmed conntracks only, preventing unsafe reallocations on confirmed entries.

References

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