VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026Updated 21 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98838: Linux kernel · vt: skip screen update for DEC alignment test on backgroup consoles

Source GCVE Database

Authoritative record:CVE-2026-98838

Not known to be exploited · fixed in ad06f7312d3f615dd466483ce81a9b9619166686 : 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: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 5% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in ad06f7312d3f615dd466483ce81a9b9619166686, 985c000b046ca4ee11ee34ef85db500c569ef6e8, 0928ed9bd7946baee911efa401088697836e3b1e +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.

ghsa-798g-xwjp-798r

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < ad06f7312d3f615dd466483ce81a9b9619166686	Fixed in ad06f7312d3f615dd466483ce81a9b9619166686
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < 985c000b046ca4ee11ee34ef85db500c569ef6e8	Fixed in 985c000b046ca4ee11ee34ef85db500c569ef6e8
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < 0928ed9bd7946baee911efa401088697836e3b1e	Fixed in 0928ed9bd7946baee911efa401088697836e3b1e
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < 2fc4e71aefab57c80ccc9775aad2af503fc90810	Fixed in 2fc4e71aefab57c80ccc9775aad2af503fc90810
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < 0ee53081425a1a31ce15089012cd96b8353eb44e	Fixed in 0ee53081425a1a31ce15089012cd96b8353eb44e
LinuxLinux	Affected =2.6.12	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel to add the missing visibility check before screen updates on virtual consoles. Users should update to a kernel version that includes this fix. Since this is a kernel-level bug, applying the official kernel patch or upgrading to a fixed kernel release is the recommended remediation. No additional mitigations are indicated by the vendor advisory.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's virtual terminal (vt) subsystem caused an out-of-bounds memory access when updating the screen for invisible virtual consoles with certain font size changes. The issue arose because the framebuffer backing buffer was not resized for invisible consoles, but screen updates were still performed without the necessary visibility checks. This has been resolved by adding a visibility check before pushing screen updates.

References

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