CVE-2026-98990: Linux Vulnerability

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: namespace: check a submount for references right before unmounting it shrink_submounts() and mark_mounts_for_expiry() first collect all the mounts they are allowed to unmount and then unmount them. Whether a mount is busy is decided by propagate_mount_busy() on the tree. But unmounting the first mount changes the tree that the second one propagates into. propagate_umount() moves a surviving overmount off a copy it unmounts and mounts it where the copy was mounted. If that's where the propagated copy of the second victim is looked up the overmount becomes a candidate of the second umount_tree(). It's childless and so trim_one() commits it without looking at its reference count. So a synchronous umount pulls out a busy mount that is in use somewhere else and marks it MNT_SYNC_UMOUNT while it has users: umount2(/tmp/plshrink/p1, 0) = 0 errno 0 cwd is (unreachable) The same two umounts requested one after the other fail with EBUSY. This needs a mount with MNT_SHRINKABLE, i.e., automounted submounts of NFS, AFS and CIFS or the tracefs mount below debugfs. Bind mounts inherit the flag. Check each mount right before it is unmounted under the same hold of namespace_sem and mount_lock as the umount itself. Make sure that the algorithm stays linear.

Metrics

EPSS Probability

0.18%

7.1th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

Source: CNA advisory (CVE.org). NVD analysis pending.

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux	>= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486, < cda0c4e502a0f74a191471ce100fb061e5ab35d6; >= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486, < 3f55f71291e4332983cd63b288d1f2be3c9c08fc; >= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486, < 361f59e7f3f9a219fb5567bf9abc8482a154a399; >= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486, < f6394281834492c6516a405a348b545ae698a331; >= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486, < 6e4012e571867868b545c91ca9d6095fdb709907; >= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486, < d73f04e92c1aab78d96ac6cadb234c8a3a373d22; >= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486, < 18902a23ef36f83d32bafc58ae2484e6bb4bb8ef; >= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486, < 32bf92416614a1e3ff3524fc6b780259c7aad3ef; 5e6ef5ef6eaf690faad3a7c6c665ebf45d7b6ccf; 839d42687dfce0ed0ea2c6bd8d707cc0e276fbe7; 808e83e5add13152bd4a88346487de68395c136b; 6de9d08a9718ee9c12ba6343c50141c2d633e3dc; >= 4.1.40, < 4.2; >= 4.4.54, < 4.5; >= 4.9.15, < 4.10; >= 4.10.3, < 4.11
Linux	Linux	4.11

References

Timeline

Published: Oct 23, 2026
Last Modified: Oct 30, 2026
Status: Received

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-98990?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: namespace: check a submount for references right before unmounting it shrink_submounts() and mark_mounts_for_expiry() first collect all the mounts they are allowed to unmount and then unmount them. Whether a mount is busy is decided by propagate_mount_busy() on the tree. But unmounting the first mount changes the tree that the second one propagates into. propagate_umount() moves a surviving overmount off a copy it unmounts and mounts it where the copy was mounted. If that's where the propagated copy of the second victim is looked up the overmount becomes a candidate of the second umount_tree(). It's childless and so trim_one() commits it without looking at its reference count. So a synchronous umount pulls out a busy mount that is in use somewhere else and marks it MNT_SYNC_UMOUNT while it has users: umount2(/tmp/plshrink/p1, 0) = 0 errno 0 cwd is (unreachable) The same two umounts requested one after the other fail with EBUSY. This needs a mount with MNT_SHRINKABLE, i.e., automounted submounts of NFS, AFS and CIFS or the tracefs mount below debugfs. Bind mounts inherit the flag. Check each mount right before it is unmounted under the same hold of namespace_sem and mount_lock as the umount itself. Make sure that the algorithm stays linear.

How severe is CVE-2026-98990?

Severity scoring for CVE-2026-98990 is pending analysis. The EPSS model estimates a 0.18% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2026-98990?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

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