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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-98982: Linux kernel · namespace: don't let a pseudo dentry become the root of a mount

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High · fixed in b138e16fb1e81376cea89f727dda7bfccd140de4 : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:18 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
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 b138e16fb1e81376cea89f727dda7bfccd140de4, a256e31e0c54c4c37d2523aa52faabdcdd2ebc07, 00287afa7cd989efdbf5822b7efac33cce7d489a +1
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 23 Oct 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq 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.

What to do

Upgrade Linux kernel to b138e16fb1e81376cea89f727dda7bfccd140de4, a256e31e0c54c4c37d2523aa52faabdcdd2ebc07, 00287afa7cd989efdbf5822b7efac33cce7d489a or 7e1c466011ba9e64d43075396badc03191bcee44.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 35f96de04127d332a5c5e8a155d31f452f88c76d, < b138e16fb1e81376cea89f727dda7bfccd140de4
Fixed in
  • b138e16fb1e81376cea89f727dda7bfccd140de4
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 35f96de04127d332a5c5e8a155d31f452f88c76d, < a256e31e0c54c4c37d2523aa52faabdcdd2ebc07
Fixed in
  • a256e31e0c54c4c37d2523aa52faabdcdd2ebc07
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 35f96de04127d332a5c5e8a155d31f452f88c76d, < 00287afa7cd989efdbf5822b7efac33cce7d489a
Fixed in
  • 00287afa7cd989efdbf5822b7efac33cce7d489a
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 35f96de04127d332a5c5e8a155d31f452f88c76d, < 7e1c466011ba9e64d43075396badc03191bcee44
Fixed in
  • 7e1c466011ba9e64d43075396badc03191bcee44
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • =6.9
Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix is available and has been applied in specific Linux kernel commits. Users and administrators should update to a patched kernel version that includes these fixes. No additional mitigation is required beyond applying the official patch.

Description

CVE-2026-98982 is a high-severity vulnerability in the Linux kernel affecting version 6.9. It involves a flaw where a pseudo dentry, which should never become the root of a mount, can be improperly used as such via bind mounting /proc/self/fd/<fd>. This can lead to use-after-free conditions during mount namespace operations. The issue has been fixed in specific commits in the Linux kernel source.

References

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