VulnerabilityPublished 23 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98896: Linux kernel · thunderbolt: Keep the domain reference while processing hotplug

Source GCVE Database

Authoritative record:CVE-2026-98896· Medium

Not known to be exploited · fixed in e8656465d08ed832e120c9cca4a6d0c8ccb45698 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:30 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated by Threat Radar · 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 e8656465d08ed832e120c9cca4a6d0c8ccb45698, b61a4ae2ec6a0d363615d01106e0a2d284133a38, 138ec65b2c761f065b19d115aed2b8246fc272f5 +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-vrr8-45r3-5hwq

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d6cc51cd1a4aed1d9e2dd66d643d729acb4be560, < e8656465d08ed832e120c9cca4a6d0c8ccb45698	Fixed in e8656465d08ed832e120c9cca4a6d0c8ccb45698
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d6cc51cd1a4aed1d9e2dd66d643d729acb4be560, < b61a4ae2ec6a0d363615d01106e0a2d284133a38	Fixed in b61a4ae2ec6a0d363615d01106e0a2d284133a38
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d6cc51cd1a4aed1d9e2dd66d643d729acb4be560, < 138ec65b2c761f065b19d115aed2b8246fc272f5	Fixed in 138ec65b2c761f065b19d115aed2b8246fc272f5
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d6cc51cd1a4aed1d9e2dd66d643d729acb4be560, < 06b2e894e640f6a3dbeb536a2d26d72426b26a46	Fixed in 06b2e894e640f6a3dbeb536a2d26d72426b26a46
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d6cc51cd1a4aed1d9e2dd66d643d729acb4be560, < 04df2985159e381c88a923fae1bec2f8d0272412	Fixed in 04df2985159e381c88a923fae1bec2f8d0272412
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d6cc51cd1a4aed1d9e2dd66d643d729acb4be560, < 1d991f749a8255ee2ecc6307e2f27354ab631827	Fixed in 1d991f749a8255ee2ecc6307e2f27354ab631827

AI-suggested

A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel to address this vulnerability by ensuring the domain reference is held while processing hotplug events. Users should update to the patched kernel versions once available. No additional mitigations are specified.

Description

A use-after-free (UAF) vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Thunderbolt hotplug handling was resolved. The issue occurred because hotplug events could be processed after the domain was removed, potentially leading to unsafe memory access. The fix involves taking a domain reference before scheduling the hotplug handler to prevent this condition.

References

Community reviews

Loading reviews…