VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98444: Linux kernel · xfs: drop dquot flush lock when we can't find a buffer to flush

Source GCVE Database

Authoritative record:CVE-2026-98444· Medium

Not known to be exploited · fixed in ffb48dccce1960a9ea24463a2f3c21d124d6b672 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 4% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in ffb48dccce1960a9ea24463a2f3c21d124d6b672, 41bc624377f08125eae164c62ce043791ade93b7, 6.13

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 18 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.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

ghsa-6jxr-vjmp-rhhw

What to do

Upgrade Linux kernel to ffb48dccce1960a9ea24463a2f3c21d124d6b672, 41bc624377f08125eae164c62ce043791ade93b7 or 6.13.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected >=6.12.14 <6.13	Fixed in ffb48dccce1960a9ea24463a2f3c21d124d6b672 41bc624377f08125eae164c62ce043791ade93b7 6.13
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.13	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix has been applied to the Linux kernel to address this issue by ensuring the dquot flush lock is dropped even when no buffer is found. Users should update to the fixed kernel version once available. No additional mitigation steps are indicated.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's XFS filesystem was resolved involving improper handling of the dquot flush lock. The function xfs_qm_flush_one failed to release the dquot flush lock if it could not find the buffer to flush, potentially causing a lock to remain held indefinitely. This issue was identified and fixed by ensuring the lock is dropped even when no buffer is found.

Impact

If exploited or triggered, this flaw could cause a lock to remain held indefinitely, potentially leading to deadlocks or resource contention within the XFS filesystem operations. This could degrade system stability or performance but no specific exploitation or widespread impact is documented.

Summary

The vulnerability in the Linux kernel's XFS subsystem involved the function xfs_qm_flush_one not releasing the dquot flush lock (dqflock) when it failed to acquire the buffer associated with the dquot. Because no buffer was found, the lock was not released, potentially leading to a deadlock or resource contention. The fix ensures that the dquot flush lock is properly dropped in such cases to maintain correct lock management.

References

Community reviews

Loading reviews…