CVE-2026-98289

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: af_unix: Unify scc_index when finalising SCC in __unix_walk_scc(). Commit bfdb01283ee8 ("af_unix: Assign a unique index to SCC.") changed Tarjan's algorithm to update lowlink with lowlink, which is called lowpoint (unix_vertex.scc_index). unix_vertex_dead() assumes all vertices in an SCC share the same lowpoint, but this is not always true if an SCC has two or more back edges, depending on the order of DFS. For example, the graph below has two back edges from B to A and from C to B. A --> B --> C ^ | ^ | `----' `----' If DFS walks through A -> B -> C -> B (-> C -> B) -> A (-> B -> A), each index and scc_index will be updated as follows. A --> B --> C C = (3, 3) (index, scc_index) B = (2, 2) A = (1, 1) A ... B ... C C = (3, 2)<-. ^ | B = (2, 2) -' `----' A = (1, 1) A ... B ... C C = (3, 2) ^ | . . B = (2, 1)<-. `----' .... A = (1, 1) -' Then, unix_vertex_dead() thinks that B is passed to another SCC with scc_index 2, and the SCC is not garbage-collected. This does not happen if DFS walks in a different order below or starts from B. 1 3 A --> B --> C ^ | ^ | `----' `----' 2 4 Let's unify scc_index across the SCC when finalising it. Note that updating v->index was previously done in unix_scc_dead(), when called from __unix_walk_scc(), just to save one loop. Since __unix_walk_scc() now iterates over the SCC anyway, the update is moved back to __unix_walk_scc() and 'fast' argument is dropped.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-10-06
Last modified 2026-10-06
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 6.1.141, 6.6.93, 6.10 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.18.54, 7.2.8, 7.3-rc4 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 6.1.141 ≥ 6.6.93 ≥ 6.10
Fixed in
✓ 6.18.54 6.18.x ✓ 7.2.8 7.2.x ✓ 7.3-rc4

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-98289?

    CVE-2026-98289 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.1.141 onward and has been patched in 6.18.54, 7.2.8 and 7.3-rc4. CVE-2026-98289 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-98289?

    Yes. CVE-2026-98289 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.18.54, 7.2.8 and 7.3-rc4. If you are running Linux kernel 6.1.141 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-98289 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-98289 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.