CVE-2026-98862
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: audit: fix exe mark UAF in kill_rules() kill_rules() removes mixed AUDIT_DIR and AUDIT_EXE rules when an audit tree is pruned. It drops entry->rule.exe before removing the rule from the RCU-visible filter lists. After a rule has been installed with AUDIT_ADD_RULE, which requires CAP_AUDIT_CONTROL, removing the watched directory can race with another task that is still evaluating the rule. In that case, fsnotify can free the executable mark before the reader reaches audit_mark_compare(), causing a use-after-free. KASAN reports: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in audit_mark_compare+0x8d/0xa0 Unlink the published rules from the RCU-visible lists and retain them on tree->rules for cleanup. If any rule has an executable mark, wait for a single RCU grace period before removing the marks and scheduling the entries for freeing. Otherwise, call_rcu() already provides the required deferred freeing without a synchronous wait.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
4.3
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.12.113,
6.18.56,
7.2.10,
7.3
and their respective stable series.
References
4 totalFrequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-98862?
CVE-2026-98862 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.3 onward and has been patched in 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10 and others. CVE-2026-98862 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-2026-98862?
Yes. CVE-2026-98862 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.3 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-98862 actively exploited?
No. CVE-2026-98862 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.