CVE-2026-98953

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: devlink: fix devlink_rel reference leak when notify work is pending devlink_rel_nested_in_notify_work_schedule() takes a reference on the devlink_rel for the notify work and then queues the work, ignoring the return value of schedule_delayed_work(). If the work is already pending, nothing new is queued, the work runs only once and drops only one reference, so the extra one is leaked together with the devlink_rel and its index in devlink_rels. This is easy to hit. devl_register() of a nested instance queues the work, and if the instance is unregistered before the work has run, devlink_rel_put() queues it again while it is still pending. The work also keeps rescheduling itself for as long as the parent devlink lock cannot be taken, which widens the window. Registering and unregistering a nested devlink instance 100 times while holding the parent lock leaks all 100 devlink_rel objects. The reschedule path in devlink_rel_nested_in_notify_work() has the same problem: if the work was queued again while it was running, the reference it holds is never dropped. Drop the reference in both places when the work was already pending. The pending work holds its own reference, so this can not be the last one.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-10-23
Last modified 2026-10-23
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 6.7 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.12.113, 6.18.57, 7.2.11, 7.3 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 6.7
Fixed in
✓ 6.12.113 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.57 6.18.x ✓ 7.2.11 7.2.x ✓ 7.3

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-98953?

    CVE-2026-98953 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.7 onward and has been patched in 6.12.113, 6.18.57, 7.2.11 and others. CVE-2026-98953 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-98953?

    Yes. CVE-2026-98953 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.113, 6.18.57, 7.2.11 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 6.7 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-98953 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-98953 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.