CVE-2026-98840

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: vc_screen: reload vc pointer before if (ret) in vcs_write() to avoid UAF The reload of 'vc' added by commit 8fb9ea65c9d1 ("vc_screen: reload load of struct vc_data pointer in vcs_write() to avoid UAF") sits after the 'if (ret)' block, so the copy-failure break path exits the loop without reloading vc. If the vc was kfree()'d via vc_port_destruct during the unlocked copy_from_user() window, the post-loop 'if (written && vc) vcs_scr_updated(vc)' is reached with a stale non-NULL vc. The '&& vc' guard from commit a287620312dc ("vc_screen: fix null-ptr-deref in vcs_notifier() during concurrent vcs_write") only handles the NULL case, not this stale-non-NULL case; vcs_notifier() then reads param->vc->vc_num from freed memory: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in vcs_notifier+0x7c/0xd0 Read of size 2 at addr ffff888007149190 Call Trace: vcs_notifier+0x7c/0xd0 atomic_notifier_call_chain+0x70/0xa0 vcs_scr_updated+0x77/0xa0 vcs_write+0x71b/0x7e0 Allocated by task: vc_allocate -> con_install -> tty_open Freed by task: kfree <- vt_ioctl (VT_DISALLOCATE -> vc_port_destruct) Move the reload to immediately after console_lock(), before 'if (ret)', so every break path below passes a fresh vc to the post-loop vcs_scr_updated().

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

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 6.12.95, 6.18.37, 5.10.260, 5.15.211, 6.1.177, 6.6.144, 7.0.14, 7.1.2, 7.2 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10, 7.3 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 6.12.95 ≥ 6.18.37 ≥ 5.10.260 ≥ 5.15.211 ≥ 6.1.177 ≥ 6.6.144 ≥ 7.0.14 ≥ 7.1.2 ≥ 7.2
Fixed in
✓ 6.12.113 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.56 6.18.x ✓ 7.2.10 7.2.x ✓ 7.3

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-98840?

    CVE-2026-98840 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.12.95 onward and has been patched in 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10 and others. CVE-2026-98840 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-98840?

    Yes. CVE-2026-98840 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 6.12.95 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-98840 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-98840 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.