CVE-2026-98344
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dmaengine: Fix device kref underflow in dma_chan_put() dma_chan_get() takes chan->device->ref only on the slow path: /* no kref on fast path */ if (chan->client_count) { __module_get(owner); chan->client_count++; return 0; } if (!try_module_get(owner)) return -ENODEV; if (!dma_device_get(chan->device)) { // calls kref_get_unless_zero() dma_chan_put() drops the ref unconditionally, so every fast-path get/put pair drops one extra device reference. The bug fires when two conditions hold together: a non-private provider has a persistent client holding chan->client_count > 0 and another client cycles dmaengine_get()/dmaengine_put(). When the kref hits zero, the subsequent dma_find_channel() returns NULL even though the provider module is still loaded. Fix this by dropping device->ref only on the last put, matching the single slow-path get.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
5.6
and later are affected. Fixed in
5.10.271,
5.15.222,
6.1.189,
6.6.158,
6.12.112,
6.18.54,
7.2.8,
7.3-rc4
and their respective stable series.
References
8 totalFrequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-98344?
CVE-2026-98344 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.6 onward and has been patched in 5.10.271, 5.15.222, 6.1.189 and others. CVE-2026-98344 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
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Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-98344?
Yes. CVE-2026-98344 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.271, 5.15.222, 6.1.189 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.6 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-98344 actively exploited?
No. CVE-2026-98344 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.