CVE-2026-98444 xfs: drop dquot flush lock when we can't find a buffer to flush
A missing lock release in the XFS filesystem can cause a deadlock, leading to a local denial of service.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-98444?
CVE-2026-98444 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 18 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:
xfs: drop dquot flush lock when we can't find a buffer to flush
LOLLM noticed that xfs_qm_flush_one fails to drop the dquot flush lock if it can't grab the buffer associated with the dquot. Since there's no buffer, nobody else is going to drop the dqflock, so we need to do it ourselves.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98444?
How do I fix CVE-2026-98444?
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-2026-98444 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98444 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-98444, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98444, GHSA-6jxr-vjmp-rhhw, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98444.