Kernel warning via interrupted printk thread creation
Published Sep 25, 2026 · Updated Sep 25, 2026
Improper error handling in Linux 6.12 allows attackers to trigger a kernel warning when printk thread creation returns -EINTR. The legacy and nbcon printk paths pass a failed kthread_run result to WARN_ON even though SIGKILL can make __kthread_create_on_node return -EINTR. The observed path requires administrative console registration, and service interruption occurs only when panic_on_warn or an equivalent warning limit converts the warning into a kernel panic.
Summary
What happened
Improper error handling in Linux 6.12 allows attackers to trigger a kernel warning when printk thread creation returns -EINTR. The legacy and nbcon printk paths pass a failed kthread_run result to WARN_ON even though SIGKILL can make __kthread_create_on_node return -EINTR. The observed path requires administrative console registration, and service interruption occurs only when panic_on_warn or an equivalent warning limit converts the warning into a kernel panic.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-98147
- 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=6.12
- Affected versionversion=76f258bf3f2aae570209319944703a92ac64e29e <4e676279798148382497d0e38c0bd51115e64be1
- Affected versionversion=76f258bf3f2aae570209319944703a92ac64e29e <72dd0ec09e7cc98ed58ddeac26575e5d1ab8a93d
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