CVE-2026-98498 net/mlx5: Fix rev_entry reference leak in mlx5_tc_ct_shared_counter_get()
A reference leak in the Linux kernel mlx5 driver can cause memory exhaustion and denial of service when handling shared counters.
- 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-2026-98498?
CVE-2026-98498 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:
net/mlx5: Fix rev_entry reference leak in mlx5_tc_ct_shared_counter_get()
When the reverse entry is found but its counter is already being released, refcount_inc_not_zero() fails and the reference taken by mlx5_tc_ct_entry_get() is never dropped before falling through to create_counter. Drop it so the reverse entry is not kept alive forever by a shared counter lookup that did not use it.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98498?
How do I fix CVE-2026-98498?
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-2026-98498 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98498 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-108749, BELL-CVE-2026-98498, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98498, GHSA-j7wh-6jqc-vrfw, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98498.