CVE-2026-98279: Linux kernel · btrfs: handle lack of space when cleaning up verity items
Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · fixed in efa5780b84f066f419a667f6b9542368b2f62074 : update Linux kernel when convenient.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC
Rated Medium by Threat Radar's AI analysis · 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.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in efa5780b84f066f419a667f6b9542368b2f62074, 76bf149cd0298544631e756670b89c399c7acbca, 4b7ecabd87dc40998fe7870d7975279649229a3b
Exploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 6 Oct 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
Upgrade Linux kernel to efa5780b84f066f419a667f6b9542368b2f62074, 76bf149cd0298544631e756670b89c399c7acbca or 4b7ecabd87dc40998fe7870d7975279649229a3b.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
A fix is available in the Linux kernel as identified by the fixed commit versions efa5780b84f066f419a667f6b9542368b2f62074, 76bf149cd0298544631e756670b89c399c7acbca, and 4b7ecabd87dc40998fe7870d7975279649229a3b. Users should update to a kernel version including these fixes to resolve the issue. No additional mitigation is required beyond applying the official patch.
Description
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's btrfs filesystem handling causes the entire filesystem to become read-only when enable_verity() hits the quota group (qgroup) limit during verity item cleanup. This occurs because rollback_verity() requires its own metadata reservation, and failure due to qgroup limits or lack of space leads to failed orphan cleanup on the next mount, leaving subvolumes unreachable or causing mount failures on full filesystems. The issue is fixed by using a global reserve for transactions during cleanup to avoid quota and space errors.