CVE-2026-98989

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: namespace: check a recursive bind mount for mount namespace loops do_loopback() refuses to bind mount the file of a mount namespace that is as old as the caller's or older because a mount namespace that holds a mount of its own file, or of an ancestor's, would cause a cycle. But it only checks the dentry the bind mount starts from. With MS_REC everything below it is copied and do_loopback() passes CL_COPY_MNT_NS_FILE so mount namespace files below the source are copied. That's fine for a source in the caller's own mount namespace. Every mount namespace file in there passed the same check when it was bind-mounted. It isn't fine for a source in another mount namespace. may_copy_tree() accepts a bind mount of any nsfs or pidfs file no matter what mount namespace it lives in so that /proc/<pid>/ns/<ns> and pidfds can be bind mounted. If we create a bind-mount stack of mount namespaces file descriptors the kernel will copy them irrespective of their ancestoral relationship to the mount namespace in question: 151 146 0:7 net:[4026531833] /tmp/nrc/y rw - nsfs nsfs rw 152 151 0:7 mnt:[4026532293] /tmp/nrc/y rw - nsfs nsfs rw Mount 152 is a mount of the mount namespace file of mount namespace 4026532293 inside mount namespace 4026532293. That namespace and every mount in it are leaked... All it takes is a process in an older mount namespace that stacks the file and repeating it leaks without limit: after control: Shmem: 380 kB child: mount(/proc/self/fd/6, MS_BIND|MS_REC): ok after cycle: Shmem: 65916 kB do_move_mount() runs check_for_nsfs_mounts() over a detached tree for exactly that reason. Do the same for the copy before it is grafted.

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

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 3.19 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.18.57, 7.2.11, 7.3 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 3.19
Fixed in
✓ 6.18.57 6.18.x ✓ 7.2.11 7.2.x ✓ 7.3

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-98989?

    CVE-2026-98989 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 3.19 onward and has been patched in 6.18.57, 7.2.11 and 7.3. CVE-2026-98989 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-98989?

    Yes. CVE-2026-98989 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.18.57, 7.2.11 and 7.3. If you are running Linux kernel 3.19 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-98989 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-98989 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.