CVE-2026-98983: Linux kernel · unshare: don't drop active namespace references that were never taken
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited.
Data as of 28 Oct 2026, 01:29 UTC
Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD
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.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 26.10linuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=stonkingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.10linux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=stonkingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.10linux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=stonkingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.10linux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=stonkingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.10linux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=stonkingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.10linux-oraclepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-oracle?arch=source&distro=stonkingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: unshare: don't drop active namespace references that were never taken Active references on the namespaces of an nsproxy are taken when the nsproxy is installed into a task in switch_task_namespaces() and copy_namespaces() and dropped again by put_nsproxy() through deactivate_nsproxy(). But ksys_unshare() calls put_nsproxy() on an nsproxy that was never installed when set_cred_ucounts() fails. The new namespaces of that nsproxy go from zero to minus one and the namespaces shared with the caller lose a reference that belongs to the nsproxy the caller keeps using: WARNING: kernel/nscommon.c:171 at __ns_ref_active_put+0x1cd/0x230 nsproxy_ns_active_put deactivate_nsproxy ksys_unshare Afterwards the namespaces the caller lives in aren't listed by listns() anymore. set_cred_ucounts() only fails when alloc_ucounts() can't allocate and it only allocates when the real uid of the caller differs from its effective uid. Commit cefd55bd2159 ("nsproxy: fix free_nsproxy() and simplify create_new_namespaces()") separated the two cases on purpose. nsproxy_free() frees an nsproxy that was prepared but never installed and that's what a failed setns() uses in put_nsset(). Export it and use it for a failed unshare() as well.