CVE-2026-98448 xfs: release orphanage dir inode if chown fails
A reference leak in the XFS filesystem allows local attackers to cause a denial of service by triggering a failed chown operation on an orphanage directory inode.
- 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-2026-98448?
CVE-2026-98448 is a memory corruption 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: release orphanage dir inode if chown fails
LOLLM points out that we leak the igrab'd reference to the orphanage directory inode if chowning it fails. Fix that.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98448?
How do I fix CVE-2026-98448?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.
Is CVE-2026-98448 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98448 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-98448, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98448, GHSA-wpv5-8rhc-4mcx, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98448.