# CVE-2026-98098: tipc: fix NULL deref in tipc_named_node_up() on empty publication list

> A local attacker can trigger a kernel NULL pointer dereference in the TIPC module by exhausting the publication list, causing a system crash.

- **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-104502, BELL-CVE-2026-98098, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98098, GHSA-vgfp-jj93-v4hf, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98098

## What is CVE-2026-98098?

CVE-2026-98098 is a medium-severity 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:

tipc: fix NULL deref in tipc_named_node_up() on empty publication list

User-space applications can bind a large number of service addresses to
one or more sockets. Each binding of a local-scope service address inserts
one entry (publication) into the TIPC name table. If the number of these
publications exceeds TIPC_MAX_PUBL (65535), protocol service types
(such as node state and link state) are no longer inserted into the name
table. This causes two issues:

1. User-space applications subscribing to node or link up/down events
   stop receiving notifications.

2. A NULL pointer dereference can occur:

   BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 00000000000000d0
   ...
   CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/0 Not tainted 7.2.0-rc4-default+ #5 PREEMPT(full)
   ...
   RIP: 0010:tipc_named_node_up (./include/linux/skbuff.h:2251 net/tipc/name_distr.c:195 net/tipc/name_distr.c:221)
   ...
   Call Trace:
   <IRQ>
   tipc_node_write_unlock (net/tipc/node.c:428)
   tipc_rcv (net/tipc/node.c:934 net/tipc/node.c:2189)
   tipc_udp_recv (net/tipc/udp_media.c:389)

   Thread 1 (tipc_net_finalize) | Thread 2 (named_distribute)
   -----------------------------|-----------------------------
                                | ...
                                | list_for_each_entry(publ, pls, binding_node) {
                                | ...
                                | __skb_queue_tail(list, skb);
                                | ...
                                | }
                                | ...
                                | hdr = buf_msg(skb_peek_tail(list));
   ...                          |
   tipc_nametbl_publish();      |

   If 'tipc_nametbl_publish()' (Thread 1) fails because the number of
   local publications reaches TIPC_MAX_PUBL, list (Thread 2) will be empty. As a
   result, NULL is passed to 'buf_msg()', leading to a NULL pointer dereference.

Fix these issues by allowing protocol service types (node state, link state,
and topology server) to be inserted into the name table unconditionally.
This ensures that users subscribing to these types always receive
notifications. In addition, the maximum number of local user publications is
reduced to (TIPC_MAX_PUBL - 1). This ensures that the maximum bulk size
calculated in tipc_link_set_queue_limits() remains valid.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98098?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-98098?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98098 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98098 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-2026-98098 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98098 is a medium-severity 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-2026-98098 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-2026-98098/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98098/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98098
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98098
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98098

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98098/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.