VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98644: Linux kernel · bpf: Avoid soft lockup in __htab_map_lookup_and_delete_batch()

Source GCVE Database

Authoritative record:CVE-2026-98644· Medium

Not known to be exploited · fixed in f0c09de08ec077098b7e1563f2285f1c136cd816 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 10% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in f0c09de08ec077098b7e1563f2285f1c136cd816, ca5bd55fc508fbb5c08c62206d02237a5b6fc7e8, 85136bf22404474a815fc0ed26ec0d1cbc1bc3f9 +4

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-p6rx-8wrq-4gc7

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 057996380a42bb64ccc04383cfa9c0ace4ea11f0, < f0c09de08ec077098b7e1563f2285f1c136cd816	Fixed in f0c09de08ec077098b7e1563f2285f1c136cd816
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 057996380a42bb64ccc04383cfa9c0ace4ea11f0, < ca5bd55fc508fbb5c08c62206d02237a5b6fc7e8	Fixed in ca5bd55fc508fbb5c08c62206d02237a5b6fc7e8
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 057996380a42bb64ccc04383cfa9c0ace4ea11f0, < 85136bf22404474a815fc0ed26ec0d1cbc1bc3f9	Fixed in 85136bf22404474a815fc0ed26ec0d1cbc1bc3f9
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 057996380a42bb64ccc04383cfa9c0ace4ea11f0, < 77a3b52b4455e6377e549539e757bc55eedefb51	Fixed in 77a3b52b4455e6377e549539e757bc55eedefb51
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 057996380a42bb64ccc04383cfa9c0ace4ea11f0, < 44f9bcb5ab2b268bc763ed3ebec83308b4972936	Fixed in 44f9bcb5ab2b268bc763ed3ebec83308b4972936
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 057996380a42bb64ccc04383cfa9c0ace4ea11f0, < 5c8b1869cb99a32a962388848cd19604fb41263e	Fixed in 5c8b1869cb99a32a962388848cd19604fb41263e

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AI-suggested

A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel to add rescheduling points in the __htab_map_lookup_and_delete_batch() function, preventing soft lockups during batch operations. Users should update to a kernel version that includes commit 75134f16e7dd and the subsequent fix completing it for the htab-native path. Patch status is confirmed by the vendor's commit history. No additional mitigations are required once the fix is applied.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's BPF subsystem involving the __htab_map_lookup_and_delete_batch() function could cause a soft lockup on systems with many CPUs and large hash maps. The issue arises because the function lacks rescheduling points during batch operations, leading to prolonged CPU occupancy and triggering the soft lockup watchdog. This has been fixed by adding rescheduling points to avoid long CPU hold times during batch lookups and deletions.

Impact

Systems running affected Linux kernel versions with large BPF hash maps and many CPUs may experience soft lockups, where CPUs are held for excessive time during batch map operations. This can degrade system responsiveness and stall kernel tracing and BPF program teardown. The issue primarily affects kernels configured without preemption (CONFIG_PREEMPT_NONE) on architectures like arm64. There is no indication of code execution or privilege escalation impact.

References

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