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No exploitation reported

CVE-2026-98543

bpf: fs/xattr: don't assume the inode is locked in path_unlink/path_rmdir

No exploitation reported by the sources we read.

  • Published2026-10-18

Am I affected?

With a domain, we read the version its public headers and pages expose. A distribution build can carry the fix under an older number.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: fs/xattr: don't assume the inode is locked in path_unlink/path_rmdir bpf_lsm_has_d_inode_locked() makes the verifier rewrite bpf_[set|remove]_dentry_xattr() to the _locked variants, which assume that the caller already holds the inode's i_rwsem. The path_unlink and path_rmdir hooks are listed, but security_path_unlink() and security_path_rmdir() run before vfs_unlink()/vfs_rmdir() take the victim inode's i_rwsem, so a sleepable BPF LSM program attached to either hook mutates the victim's xattrs without the lock held. Drop the two path hooks from d_inode_locked_hooks so that the verifier keeps the locking bpf_[set|remove]_dentry_xattr() variants, which take the lock themselves.

Timeline

dates in UTC
  1. 2026-10-1816:17CVE publishedNVD

Observed activity

isMalicious corpus · updated 2026-10-24 15:37 UTC
Indicators tagged with this CVE, per day0 indicators over 7 days
Block these indicators
  • Firewall list (EDL, text): https://api.ismalicious.com/edl/cve/CVE-2026-98543?format=txt
  • CSV export: https://api.ismalicious.com/edl/cve/CVE-2026-98543?format=csv
  • TAXII collection of exploited CVEs
  • The EDL and CSV take an API key on the Pro plan.

Versions per branch

Distribution builds and vendor advisories

Packages from OSV.dev and products from the vendors' CSAF advisories.

version not verifiedVersions not verified: read as OSV.dev and the vendors publish them, not checked against each vendor's release list.

Vendor advisories

  • CVE-2026-98543 Red Hat Product Security77 known affected

    kernel: bpf: fs/xattr: don't assume the inode is locked in path_unlink/path_rmdir

    kernel as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 · kernel-64k as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 · kernel-64k-core as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 · +74 more

Full record on NVD

Fix

  1. No fix available, says the vendor Red Hat Product Security CVE-2026-98543 · 77 productsFix deferred

Detection

Nuclei template
none so far
ProjectDiscovery
Exploit-DB
no entry
Exploit-DB
Proof-of-concept repositories
none listed
PoC-in-GitHub

Sources

  • NVDCVE recordread 2026-10-24
  • CNACVSS 3.17.3read 2026-10-24
  • FIRST EPSSEPSS score0.2 %2026-10-23

Technical details

CVSS v3 Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:H
Published
2026-10-18
Last Modified
2026-10-24
NVD status
Received

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-98543?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: fs/xattr: don't assume the inode is locked in path_unlink/path_rmdir bpf_lsm_has_d_inode_locked() makes the verifier rewrite bpf_[set|remove]_dentry_xattr() to the _locked variants, which assume that the caller already holds the inode's i_rwsem. The path_unlink and path_rmdir hooks are listed, but security_path_unlink() and security_path_rmdir() run before vfs_unlink()/vfs_rmdir() take the victim inode's i_rwsem, so a sleepable BPF LSM program attached to either hook mutates the victim's xattrs without the lock held. Drop the two path hooks from d_inode_locked_hooks so that the verifier keeps the locking bpf_[set|remove]_dentry_xattr() variants, which take the lock themselves.

Is CVE-2026-98543 actively exploited?

Active exploitation of CVE-2026-98543 has not been confirmed. Its EPSS score was 0.2% on 2026-10-23, the estimated probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-98543?

CVE-2026-98543 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.3 (HIGH severity), with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:H.

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