CVE-2026-98589
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Reject pkt arguments in mutating subprogs The verifier tracks changes in how PTR_TO_PACKET registers' bounds are modified across subprog boundaries. PTR_TO_PACKET registers are actually passed as PTR_TO_MEM, which is assumed valid for the entire call. This is not the case with packet memory, where a pskb_* call may invalidate its memory region. Reject BPF code that passes PTR_TO_PACKET pointers to subprogs that may mutate a packet. We cannot pass the pointer as a true PTR_TO_PACKET because we would also need to somehow pass the PTR_TO_PACKET_META or PTR_TO_PACKET_END to the subprog. Since we cannot avoid representing the pointer in the subprog as PTR_TO_MEM, only permit it if the subprog is guaranteed not to mutate the packet.
Affected versions
Fixed in
7.2.9,
7.3
and their respective stable series.
References
2 totalFrequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-98589?
CVE-2026-98589 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . CVE-2026-98589 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-2026-98589?
Yes. CVE-2026-98589 has been patched. Fixed versions include 7.2.9 and 7.3.
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Is CVE-2026-98589 actively exploited?
No. CVE-2026-98589 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.