CVE-2026-98120

Kernel memory consumption via leaked subrequest reference

Published Sep 25, 2026 · Updated Sep 25, 2026

A reference leak in the Linux netfs write path allows attackers to consume kernel memory during an unbuffered write. When a prepared subrequest's I/O iterator becomes empty, netfs_unbuffered_write exits its loop without terminating the subrequest, leaving its reference held. The path requires a zero-length iterator during preparation; the public patch does not establish a user-visible effect from one occurrence or memory exhaustion from repetition.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.17%
Next 30 days · Oct 19, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

A reference leak in the Linux netfs write path allows attackers to consume kernel memory during an unbuffered write. When a prepared subrequest's I/O iterator becomes empty, netfs_unbuffered_write exits its loop without terminating the subrequest, leaving its reference held. The path requires a zero-length iterator during preparation; the public patch does not establish a user-visible effect from one occurrence or memory exhaustion from repetition.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-98120
Published
Sep 25, 2026
Updated
Sep 25, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
Unavailable
Attack vector
Unavailable
Privileges
Unavailable

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 25, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 25, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=0c29f6d63122a0168d67cb8ecde5b4cf7fe4acb0
  2. Affected versionversion=6.18.17 <6.18.53
  3. Affected versionversion=6.19.7 <6.20
  4. Affected versionversion=7.0
  5. Affected versionversion=72d08d2839649d1c5efbe375751f4473fa4486af <ebefb12122d1319257ecac01c1a928f78007716a
  6. Affected versionversion=a0b4c7a49137ed21279f354eb59f49ddae8dffc2 <0a573f4283a965a5e8716f621aec404cb4575328
  7. Affected versionversion=a0b4c7a49137ed21279f354eb59f49ddae8dffc2 <3c30087e27598d9d359763e8be9bd3017fe08348

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorUnavailable in this record.
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=0c29f6d63122a0168d67cb8ecde5b4cf7fe4acb0; version=6.18.17 <6.18.53; version=6.19.7 <6.20; version=7.0; version=72d08d2839649d1c5efbe375751f4473fa4486af <ebefb12122d1319257ecac01c1a928f78007716a; version=a0b4c7a49137ed21279f354eb59f49ddae8dffc2 <0a573f4283a965a5e8716f621aec404cb4575328; version=a0b4c7a49137ed21279f354eb59f49ddae8dffc2 <3c30087e27598d9d359763e8be9bd3017fe08348

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 22, 2026Sep 28, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 28, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
VectorUnavailable
PrivilegesUnavailable
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

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

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Your stack

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