VulnerabilityPublished 23 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98885: Linux kernel · ima: return error early if file xattr cannot be changed

Source GCVE Database

Authoritative record:CVE-2026-98885· Low

Not known to be exploited · fixed in dce1b66fcfb40c935f426f602c3a41a7b9f62ba4 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:30 UTC

Severity

Low

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 7% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in dce1b66fcfb40c935f426f602c3a41a7b9f62ba4, c6988714c0549e06610635c7a71e88635da6db64, 86acb68ebb220b83def94e7f4c33e24e843970e0 +4

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 23 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-p85h-x79c-c6pv

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 07f6a79415d7d502ee0c7d02ace6594a7be7429a, < dce1b66fcfb40c935f426f602c3a41a7b9f62ba4	Fixed in dce1b66fcfb40c935f426f602c3a41a7b9f62ba4
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 07f6a79415d7d502ee0c7d02ace6594a7be7429a, < c6988714c0549e06610635c7a71e88635da6db64	Fixed in c6988714c0549e06610635c7a71e88635da6db64
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 07f6a79415d7d502ee0c7d02ace6594a7be7429a, < 86acb68ebb220b83def94e7f4c33e24e843970e0	Fixed in 86acb68ebb220b83def94e7f4c33e24e843970e0
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 07f6a79415d7d502ee0c7d02ace6594a7be7429a, < 69fc6474236d9edda6983623e4282f2bdfd8e3d8	Fixed in 69fc6474236d9edda6983623e4282f2bdfd8e3d8
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 07f6a79415d7d502ee0c7d02ace6594a7be7429a, < 8c77312728d07b60fc028f676e42d842df918bcd	Fixed in 8c77312728d07b60fc028f676e42d842df918bcd
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 07f6a79415d7d502ee0c7d02ace6594a7be7429a, < 4d98295357bcacb70874e73117e298a9d7d9b830	Fixed in 4d98295357bcacb70874e73117e298a9d7d9b830

AI-suggested

A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel to address this issue by returning an error early if file xattrs cannot be changed during early boot. Users should update to the fixed kernel version once available. Since this is a kernel-level fix, applying the official kernel update from the distribution vendor is the recommended remediation.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's IMA subsystem was resolved that caused errors during early boot when attempting to change file extended attributes (xattrs) on read-only filesystems. Specifically, on ext4 filesystems, attempts to change xattrs triggered a failing ext4 transaction, leading to kernel warnings and potential boot issues. The fix ensures the system detects the read-only state early and returns an error without starting a failing transaction.

References

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