Privileged BPF load failure via callback packet loads
Published Sep 25, 2026 · Updated Sep 25, 2026
Improper BPF verifier handling in Linux allows local users with BPF-loading privileges to trigger warnings and failed program loads. In check_ld_abs(), an implicit-return path feeds a synthesized R0 value into prepare_func_exit(), leaving precision backtracking to request R0 at a callback boundary. The path requires loading a program whose synchronous callback reaches deprecated BPF_LD_ABS or BPF_LD_IND instructions, and its demonstrated consequence is an -EFAULT BPF_PROG_LOAD rather than code execution.
Summary
What happened
Improper BPF verifier handling in Linux allows local users with BPF-loading privileges to trigger warnings and failed program loads. In check_ld_abs(), an implicit-return path feeds a synthesized R0 value into prepare_func_exit(), leaving precision backtracking to request R0 at a callback boundary. The path requires loading a program whose synchronous callback reaches deprecated BPF_LD_ABS or BPF_LD_IND instructions, and its demonstrated consequence is an -EFAULT BPF_PROG_LOAD rather than code execution.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-98044
- Published
- Sep 25, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 25, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 25, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 25, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=37ad2bb11e9de92cb7b94548705eeedd87f7d392
- Affected versionversion=5.10.265 <5.11
- Affected versionversion=5.15.216 <5.16
- Affected versionversion=6.1.183 <6.2
- Affected versionversion=6.12.101 <6.13
- Affected versionversion=6.18.42 <6.18.53
- Affected versionversion=6.6.148 <6.7
- Affected versionversion=7.0.10 <7.1
- Affected versionversion=7.1
- Affected versionversion=8674e2db06cff6b50f2216eed9a761d15425bb34
- Affected versionversion=8a800497d9f6c2ec9c2c1ba7b71d0ac2ea7f7bbe
- Affected versionversion=928d354ae3557e8f755a227e67be88034eb3cd7f
- Affected versionversion=ce01a4e5cfac7adbe0be565f90cd32ecbb2f8337 <3484a99303912db62428494a9061212049027e57
- Affected versionversion=d846d83bdacbd8f14fc45c63b8c1d22608452e1c
- Affected versionversion=de1055e7f9e67af32b1f3376066272b04e5223c0
- Affected versionversion=ee861486e377edc55361c08dcbceab3f6b6577bd <bc489c0c9b8c86bd7fac42cfd1bb152f042fca56
- Affected versionversion=ee861486e377edc55361c08dcbceab3f6b6577bd <e7d28823c662128caae63f14e16bd394916c139b
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
No CVSS assessment is available in this record.
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
No sourced classifications are available.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Get started to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Get started