VulnerabilityPublished 23 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98969: Linux kernel · net/sched: em_text: reject unterminated algo before autoload

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in c9728fcf2e7fb4a7a8d08ebd9524c3b02ae1a021 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

Severity

Medium

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

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in c9728fcf2e7fb4a7a8d08ebd9524c3b02ae1a021, b627c6ba20be20334338229b4820baacb9d96826, 22182f91c6703af6e9832cffe6d22b381031cb5a +2

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.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d675c989ed2d4ba23dff615330b04371aea83534, < c9728fcf2e7fb4a7a8d08ebd9524c3b02ae1a021	Fixed in c9728fcf2e7fb4a7a8d08ebd9524c3b02ae1a021
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d675c989ed2d4ba23dff615330b04371aea83534, < b627c6ba20be20334338229b4820baacb9d96826	Fixed in b627c6ba20be20334338229b4820baacb9d96826
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d675c989ed2d4ba23dff615330b04371aea83534, < 22182f91c6703af6e9832cffe6d22b381031cb5a	Fixed in 22182f91c6703af6e9832cffe6d22b381031cb5a
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d675c989ed2d4ba23dff615330b04371aea83534, < 85e5512369d4fe6e5f2c43712d9f9e01d4ae8437	Fixed in 85e5512369d4fe6e5f2c43712d9f9e01d4ae8437
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ d675c989ed2d4ba23dff615330b04371aea83534, < 00bcc303000bac524d62eed054d77372b38ace0f	Fixed in 00bcc303000bac524d62eed054d77372b38ace0f
LinuxLinux	Affected =2.6.13	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix is available and has been applied in the Linux kernel commits identified by hashes c9728fcf2e7fb4a7a8d08ebd9524c3b02ae1a021, b627c6ba20be20334338229b4820baacb9d96826, 22182f91c6703af6e9832cffe6d22b381031cb5a, 85e5512369d4fe6e5f2c43712d9f9e01d4ae8437, and 00bcc303000bac524d62eed054d77372b38ace0f. Users should update to a kernel version including these fixes. No additional mitigation is indicated by the vendor advisory.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's net/sched subsystem (em_text) allows a kernel memory disclosure due to an out-of-bounds read. The flaw occurs because the algo field, a 16-byte array without enforced NUL termination, is passed to textsearch_prepare(), which expects a NUL-terminated string. This can cause reading beyond the array boundary into adjacent memory, leaking kernel memory contents. The issue is fixed by rejecting attributes lacking a NUL byte within the expected length.

Impact

The vulnerability allows a local user with CAP_NET_ADMIN capability in a network namespace to cause an out-of-bounds read in kernel memory, potentially disclosing sensitive kernel memory contents. This is a memory disclosure issue, which could aid attackers in further exploitation or information gathering. There is no indication of remote exploitation or privilege escalation from the provided data.

Summary

CVE-2026-98969 addresses a vulnerability in the Linux kernel's net/sched em_text module. The em_text_change() function casts a netlink attribute payload to a struct containing a 16-byte algo array without guaranteed NUL termination. When textsearch_prepare() attempts to autoload a module using this algo string, it calls request_module() with a module name constructed from the algo bytes. Because vsnprintf() reads until a NUL terminator, if none exists within the 16 bytes, it reads past the array into adjacent kernel memory, causing an out-of-bounds read and potential kernel memory disclosure. The fix enforces rejecting any algo attribute that lacks a NUL terminator within the 16-byte limit, preventing this memory disclosure. The vulnerability requires CAP_NET_ADMIN privileges and specific netlink filter setup to trigger.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Oct 2026, 09:54 UTC

Technical details

References

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