# CVE-2026-98252: RDMA/core: fix refcount bug in iwpm_get_nlmsg_request()

> A race condition in the Linux kernel RDMA core allows a refcount bug, potentially leading to a denial of service.

- **Severity:** High 7.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 6 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-106278, BELL-CVE-2026-98252, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98252, GHSA-vh89-8c9p-vvg2, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98252

## What is CVE-2026-98252?

CVE-2026-98252 is a high-severity 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:

RDMA/core: fix refcount bug in iwpm_get_nlmsg_request()

iwpm_get_nlmsg_request() initializes refcount _after_ list_add_tail()
making it accessible to global list where another CPU can kref_get()
on nlmsg_request causing a refcount "addition on 0" bug. Fix this
by initializing kref _before_ list_add_tail() so refcount for
nlmsg_request can be incremented/decremented normally. In addition,
also initialize every field before list_add_tail().

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98252?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-98252?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98252 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98252 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98252 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98252 is a high-severity 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98252 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-2026-98252/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98252/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98252
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98252
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98252

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98252/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.