CVE-2026-98214 selinux: recheck intermediate backing files on mprotect()
Local attackers can bypass SELinux execute restrictions on nested overlay filesystems by using mprotect instead of mmap, requiring specific SELinux policies and nested mounts.
- 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
What is CVE-2026-98214?
CVE-2026-98214 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 6 Oct 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:
selinux: recheck intermediate backing files on mprotect()
mprotect() can be used to bypass the SELinux checks that mmap() performs against the intermediate layers of a stacked filesystem.
mmap() checks every backing layer as the request descends through the stack. mprotect() only has the lowest backing file in vma->vm_file, so it rechecks the top-level user and the lowest mounter, but skips the mounters of every layer in between. With two nested overlayfs mounts and a policy denying mounter_t -> middle_file_t:file { execute }, a direct mmap(PROT_EXEC) is denied:
avc: denied { execute } for pid=71 comm="nested_exec" path="/payload" dev="overlay" ino=9 scontext=user_u:base_r:mounter_t tcontext=user_u:object_r:middle_file_t tclass=file permissive=0
while mmap(PROT_NONE) followed by mprotect(PROT_EXEC) succeeds.
Preserve each intermediate path, mounter SID and file-description SID in the backing-file security blob, copying the saved entries when another backing layer is opened. Allocate the array only for nested backing files, and release it and the path references in the backing_file_free hook.
During mprotect(), recheck fd { use } and the requested inode permissions for every saved mounter, and include the intermediate layers in the execmod checks. Policy for nested stacking may then need to grant intermediate mounters what a direct mmap() already requires, and execmod on intermediate labels for binaries using text relocations.
Tested on arm64 QEMU with a small BusyBox initramfs and a purpose-built SELinux policy, on a mainline tree containing commit f2381b546e7e ("fs: fix user path of nested backing files").
[PM: subject tweak]
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98214?
How do I fix CVE-2026-98214?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2026-98214 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98214 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-106467, BELL-CVE-2026-98214, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98214, GHSA-cwv8-mjrx-v4v5, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98214.