CVE-2026-98991 - In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: namespace: queue a mount only once for mount notifi
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
namespace: queue a mount only once for mount notifications
mnt_notify_add() puts a mount on notify_list. It doesn't check whether
the mount is on the list already. That's fine as long as every mount is
queued at most once per namespace_sem hold. It isn't.
propagate_umount() moves a surviving overmount off a stack of mounts
that are going away and queues it as moved. shrink_submounts() and
mark_mounts_for_expiry() call umount_tree() for several mounts under a
single namespace_sem hold. So the second umount_tree() can take down
exactly the mount the first one reparented, reparent it once more and so
end up queueing it a second time.
The second list_add_tail() cuts the mounts queued in between out of the
list while the head still points at the last of them. notify_mnt_list()
then only visits that one mount and the others are freed after the grace
period with notify_list still pointing at them. Every later mount
operation on the host walks freed memory:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __list_add_valid_or_report
Read of size 8 at addr ffff8881003d57e0 by task notify_dq/162
__list_add_valid_or_report+0x15c/0x1a0
mnt_add_to_ns+0x322/0x890
attach_recursive_mnt.isra.0+0xf2a/0x1a00
path_mount+0x139c/0x1d40
This needs a mount with MNT_SHRINKABLE to bind from. That's what
finish_automount() creates (submounts of NFS, AFS and CIFS and the
tracefs mount below debugfs). Bind mounts inherit the flag. A mount
namespace with a FAN_MARK_MNTNS mark does the rest and root in a user
namespace can have both.
Initialize to_notify in alloc_vfsmnt() and leave a mount alone that is
queued already. mnt_notify() looks at the state the mount has when the
list is drained so a single entry per mount is enough. The move event
for a mount that is unmounted under the same hold is lost. That's fine.
The detach is what matters.
HIGH
Severity & confidence
Source severityhigh
Platform severityhigh
Confidencehigh
Exploitationunknown
CVSS7.8
Affected
Vendorslinux
Reporting sources (1)
NIST NVD - National Vulnerability Database
Timeline & provenance
Published2026-10-23T13:17:21
Last updated2026-10-26T06:31:48
Ingested2026-10-25T15:19:17
FreshnessNEAR-REAL-TIME
Threat typevulnerability
Recommended action
No recommended action published with this item - review the original source.
Next steps
- Identify affected systems in your environment.
- Apply the vendor patch or mitigation guidance.
- Review logs for indicators described in the advisory.
- Follow the affected vendor/product to track updates.
Confidence explanation
Reported by a government or cert-grade source (CISA, NCSC, NVD, ENISA, MSRC).
Source type: standards ยท Original: NIST NVD - National Vulnerability Database