CVE-2026-98484

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nf_tables: skip expired catchall elements on insert and delete nft_setelem_catchall_insert() looks up duplicates with nft_set_elem_active() only, while nft_set_catchall_lookup() and the dump path additionally skip expired elements. Once a catchall element with a timeout expires, this predicate drift makes it invisible to userspace dumps, yet it still blocks re-insertion: with NLM_F_EXCL the request fails with -EEXIST, and without it the request reports success but silently inserts nothing. The stale entry only goes away when the (user-tunable) gc interval elapses, so the catchall rule may silently stop matching for an arbitrarily long time after its first expiration. The delete path shows the same drift: nft_setelem_catchall_deactivate() picks the first active-next entry in the catchall list, so with an expired entry still pending GC it retires the stale entry instead of the fresh one, and it deactivates an element that userspace no longer sees instead of failing with -ENOENT. Align both walks with the lookup and dump predicates: only an element that is active and not expired counts as a duplicate or delete candidate, using the per-netns timestamp taken at transaction start, in line with the set backend .insert/.deactivate and catchall GC sync paths.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-10-18
Last modified 2026-10-18
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 5.13 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9, 7.3 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 5.13
Fixed in
✓ 6.12.112 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.55 6.18.x ✓ 7.2.9 7.2.x ✓ 7.3

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-98484?

    CVE-2026-98484 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.13 onward and has been patched in 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9 and others. CVE-2026-98484 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-98484?

    Yes. CVE-2026-98484 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.13 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-98484 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-98484 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.