# CVE-2026-98000: hwmon: Fix potential UAF in pec_store

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's hwmon subsystem allows local attackers to potentially execute code or escalate privileges via the pec_store function.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 25 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-98000, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98000, GHSA-xqgw-9m49-8xxh, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98000

## What is CVE-2026-98000?

CVE-2026-98000 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 25 Sep 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

hwmon: Fix potential UAF in pec_store

Sashiko reports:

In pec_store(), a guard(mutex)(&hwdev->lock) is taken. If the chip write
operation returns an error other than -EOPNOTSUPP, the code jumps to the
put label, which calls put_device(hdev). If this drops the final reference,
the device is freed. When the function then returns, the guard cleanup
function runs and attempts to unlock the freed mutex.

Use scoped_guard() instead of guard() to avoid the problem.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98000?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-98000?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98000 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98000 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98000 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98000 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 25 Sep 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98000 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98000/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98000/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98000
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98000
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98000

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98000/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.