VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026Updated 21 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98477: Linux kernel · perf/core: Fix NULL pmu_ctx passed to pmu->sched_task()

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in ec15f6a50183fc01f470af74ad49900fb3731fca : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC

Severity

Unrated

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in ec15f6a50183fc01f470af74ad49900fb3731fca, b5409311b606d536cc485f3706c242c2afa93edb, 98181f9721f75f1a544dc563b0d8fed1d5c398d5 +2

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.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ bd27568117664b8b3e259721393df420ed51f57b, < ec15f6a50183fc01f470af74ad49900fb3731fca	Fixed in ec15f6a50183fc01f470af74ad49900fb3731fca
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ bd27568117664b8b3e259721393df420ed51f57b, < b5409311b606d536cc485f3706c242c2afa93edb	Fixed in b5409311b606d536cc485f3706c242c2afa93edb
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ bd27568117664b8b3e259721393df420ed51f57b, < 98181f9721f75f1a544dc563b0d8fed1d5c398d5	Fixed in 98181f9721f75f1a544dc563b0d8fed1d5c398d5
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ bd27568117664b8b3e259721393df420ed51f57b, < 249a2bd87a0e57dc28f36e992807edc9cae309b5	Fixed in 249a2bd87a0e57dc28f36e992807edc9cae309b5
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ bd27568117664b8b3e259721393df420ed51f57b, < 36bb85cf36cab15fb611cb44b78a5df06e4e69a2	Fixed in 36bb85cf36cab15fb611cb44b78a5df06e4e69a2
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.2	Fixed in–

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf/core: Fix NULL pmu_ctx passed to pmu->sched_task() perf_pmu_sched_task() returns early when cpuctx->task_ctx is set, and cpc->task_epc is only non-NULL while a task context is scheduled in on this CPU. __perf_pmu_sched_task() therefore always passes NULL: Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 00 pc : armv8pmu_sched_task+0x14/0x50 Call trace: armv8pmu_sched_task+0x14/0x50 (P) perf_pmu_sched_task+0xac/0x108 __perf_event_task_sched_out+0x6c/0xe0 Pass &cpc->epc instead, the CPU-wide context for this PMU, which the function already dereferences a few lines up to find pmu. armv8pmu_sched_task() is the only in-tree implementation that dereferences the argument, and it only reads ->pmu, so the oops needs BRBE, added in v6.17.

References

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