CVE-2026-98281 futex: Also allocate private hash on vfork()
A race condition in the Linux kernel futex implementation allows attackers to access shared memory via vfork, potentially leading to privilege escalation or code execution.
- 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-2026-98281?
CVE-2026-98281 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:
futex: Also allocate private hash on vfork()
As Jann demonstrated, it is entirely feasible to access the mm through vfork(). Therefore we need to allocate a private hash on vfork() as well as any other CLONE_VM user.
Specifically, it must be avoided to have (private) futex waiters before allocating the private hash.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98281?
How do I fix CVE-2026-98281?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2026-98281 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98281 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-98281, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98281, GHSA-fwjp-32v8-7pp8, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98281.