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VulnerabilityPublished

CVE-2026-98537: Linux kernel · workqueue: Fix NULL current_pwq deref in flush dependency check

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · fixed in f97e6d0572d1b39998e053732332bc3cfdd0b9aa : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC

Severity
Medium

Rated Medium by Threat Radar's AI analysis · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS
0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 12% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in f97e6d0572d1b39998e053732332bc3cfdd0b9aa, db6365ced4d5855e321f772b240c0e473bcfcdd5, cc190a6a1d20b87e6a9435202fc2a3bd84c79fb3 +5

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 18 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
  • ≥ fca839c00a12d682cb59b3b620d109a1d850b262, < f97e6d0572d1b39998e053732332bc3cfdd0b9aa
Fixed in
  • f97e6d0572d1b39998e053732332bc3cfdd0b9aa
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ fca839c00a12d682cb59b3b620d109a1d850b262, < db6365ced4d5855e321f772b240c0e473bcfcdd5
Fixed in
  • db6365ced4d5855e321f772b240c0e473bcfcdd5
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ fca839c00a12d682cb59b3b620d109a1d850b262, < cc190a6a1d20b87e6a9435202fc2a3bd84c79fb3
Fixed in
  • cc190a6a1d20b87e6a9435202fc2a3bd84c79fb3
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ fca839c00a12d682cb59b3b620d109a1d850b262, < 513121e69388604619ea8c0ee07e86a3d1b5b5dc
Fixed in
  • 513121e69388604619ea8c0ee07e86a3d1b5b5dc
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ fca839c00a12d682cb59b3b620d109a1d850b262, < 9bb739a5c5a570c28a62afb98e9326e2a49743c1
Fixed in
  • 9bb739a5c5a570c28a62afb98e9326e2a49743c1
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ fca839c00a12d682cb59b3b620d109a1d850b262, < 8ffececcb88262389b4f91fed0fe4884b68204bc
Fixed in
  • 8ffececcb88262389b4f91fed0fe4884b68204bc

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

A fix is available and has been applied in multiple Linux kernel commits identified by the fixedVersions hashes. Users should update to a Linux kernel version that includes these fixes to remediate the vulnerability.

Description

CVE-2026-98537 is a vulnerability in the Linux kernel's workqueue subsystem where a NULL pointer dereference can occur in the flush dependency check. This happens because the code dereferences worker->current_pwq without verifying it is non-NULL, which can occur when a kworker is not executing a work item. The issue has been fixed by adding a guard to check worker->current_pwq before dereferencing it.

References

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