VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98560: Linux kernel · net/rds: size a connection's path set by the transport it ends up with

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited : upgrade to ba3d1f480c7a3fba963e7867ad6cc557c197acbc or 670f303169d2d36f315c40f6d3d18b5ee8498fea when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

Severity

Low

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

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 8% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in ba3d1f480c7a3fba963e7867ad6cc557c197acbc, 670f303169d2d36f315c40f6d3d18b5ee8498fea

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 Linux kernel to ba3d1f480c7a3fba963e7867ad6cc557c197acbc or 670f303169d2d36f315c40f6d3d18b5ee8498fea.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4716af3897e95997d08183d351cece2dec9ee0c0, < ba3d1f480c7a3fba963e7867ad6cc557c197acbc	Fixed in ba3d1f480c7a3fba963e7867ad6cc557c197acbc
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 4716af3897e95997d08183d351cece2dec9ee0c0, < 670f303169d2d36f315c40f6d3d18b5ee8498fea	Fixed in 670f303169d2d36f315c40f6d3d18b5ee8498fea
LinuxLinux	Affected =7.0	Fixed in–
Linuxlinux/kernel`pkg:rpm/linux/kernel`Other threats	Affected =7.0	Fixed in–

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

AI-suggested

A fix has been implemented and merged into the Linux kernel (commits ba3d1f480c7a3fba963e7867ad6cc557c197acbc and 670f303169d2d36f315c40f6d3d18b5ee8498fea). Users and administrators should update to a Linux kernel version including these fixes to resolve the vulnerability. No other mitigation steps are indicated.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's RDS (Reliable Datagram Sockets) networking subsystem involves incorrect sizing of a connection's path set based on the transport used. This mismatch occurs because the number of paths is computed before the transport is finalized, leading to resource leaks during connection teardown. The issue has been fixed by recomputing the number of paths after the transport is finalized to ensure consistent creation and destruction of connection paths.

Impact

The vulnerability leads to resource leaks in the Linux kernel's RDS networking subsystem, specifically leaking workqueues associated with connection paths. This occurs on every connection to a local address using RDS over TCP and repeats on network namespace teardown or module unload. While no direct exploitation or active attacks are reported, the leak could degrade system performance or stability over time due to unreleased kernel resources.

Summary

The vulnerability in the Linux kernel's net/rds subsystem arises from __rds_conn_create() computing the number of paths (npaths) based on the caller's transport before determining if the connection should use the loopback transport for local addresses. This causes the path initialization loop to allocate multiple workqueues for TCP transport paths, but only the first path receives transport data. During connection destruction, only the first path is properly cleaned up, leaving other workqueues unfreed and causing resource leaks. The fix involves recomputing npaths after the transport is finalized so that connection creation and destruction handle the same set of paths, preventing resource leaks.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Oct 2026, 10:38 UTC

Technical details

References

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