# CVE-2026-98082: btrfs: fix the possible bioc_list memory leak during error

> A memory leak in the Linux kernel's btrfs filesystem can lead to resource exhaustion and denial of service during specific I/O error conditions.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **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:** AZL-104877, BELL-CVE-2026-98082, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98082, GHSA-572v-238r-mqg6, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98082

## What is CVE-2026-98082?

CVE-2026-98082 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, 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:

btrfs: fix the possible bioc_list memory leak during error

There are two possible ways to leak bioc memory on
btrfs_ordered_extent::bioc_list:

- An error occurred for btrfs_insert_one_raid_extent()
  Then the function btrfs_insert_raid_extent() immediately return
  without freeing any bioc in the bioc_list.

- An ordered extent hit an IO error
  In that case the ordered extent will have BTRFS_ORDERED_IOERR set, and
  skip the call on btrfs_insert_raid_extent() completely.

Fix the problem by:

- Introduce a new helper, btrfs_cleanup_ordered_bioc_list()
  Which will remove all bioc from the bioc_list, and release the bioc.

- Call the above helper for btrfs_insert_raid_extent()
  So that the cleanup helper is always called no matter what.

- Call the above helper for btrfs_finish_one_ordered()
  This is called just before the final release on the ordered extent.

This was reported by Sashiko when reviewing another patch.

Weakness: CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98082?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-98082?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98082 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98082 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98082 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98082 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, 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-2026-98082 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. 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-2026-98082/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98082/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98082
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98082
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98082

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98082/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.