CVE-2026-98120 netfs: Fix subreq ref leak
A reference leak in the Linux kernel netfs subsystem can lead to resource exhaustion and denial of service.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-98120?
CVE-2026-98120 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
netfs: Fix subreq ref leak
Fix a subrequest ref leak in netfs_unbuffered_write() in the event that subreq->io_iter ends up zero length during preparation.
Weakness: CWE-401
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98120?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2026-98120?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.
Is CVE-2026-98120 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98120 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-98120, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98120, GHSA-wfvc-hqrg-ch6q, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98120.