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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-98378: Linux kernel · bpf: Skip unsettled links in link iterator

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High · fixed in c251ed48bd9063cf7de6049421e78b6de989060f : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 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 1% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in c251ed48bd9063cf7de6049421e78b6de989060f, 68930f8d40ab4c10ca3b019f076136758fd100a8, 798a61edbc436cacdb659927d067368eeb1e30e2 +3
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 9 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
  • ≥ 9f88361273082825d9f0d13a543d49f9fa0d44a8, < c251ed48bd9063cf7de6049421e78b6de989060f
Fixed in
  • c251ed48bd9063cf7de6049421e78b6de989060f
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 9f88361273082825d9f0d13a543d49f9fa0d44a8, < 68930f8d40ab4c10ca3b019f076136758fd100a8
Fixed in
  • 68930f8d40ab4c10ca3b019f076136758fd100a8
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 9f88361273082825d9f0d13a543d49f9fa0d44a8, < 798a61edbc436cacdb659927d067368eeb1e30e2
Fixed in
  • 798a61edbc436cacdb659927d067368eeb1e30e2
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 9f88361273082825d9f0d13a543d49f9fa0d44a8, < 87ce4b53b7436b50fc984f0a6afaf77f68ac5573
Fixed in
  • 87ce4b53b7436b50fc984f0a6afaf77f68ac5573
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 9f88361273082825d9f0d13a543d49f9fa0d44a8, < 50e80e2bb5e2be8515205b9c496b9640ddefa434
Fixed in
  • 50e80e2bb5e2be8515205b9c496b9640ddefa434
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 9f88361273082825d9f0d13a543d49f9fa0d44a8, < 6e271f093d15d323f42de26f66556af53fa8e19f
Fixed in
  • 6e271f093d15d323f42de26f66556af53fa8e19f

AI-suggested

A fix is available and has been applied in the Linux kernel. Users running version 5.19 should upgrade to a fixed kernel version containing the referenced commits to mitigate this vulnerability.

Description

CVE-2026-98378 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's BPF subsystem affecting version 5.19. The flaw occurs because the link iterator takes a reference to a link without checking if it is unsettled (ID-zero), leading to a dangling pointer when anon_inode_getfile() fails and the link is freed. This can cause kernel memory corruption and potentially a kernel panic.

References

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