# CVE-2026-98561: nfp: hold IPsec RX state under the XArray lock

> A race condition in the Linux kernel NFP driver allows use-after-free during IPsec RX processing, potentially leading to system crashes or code execution.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 18 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-108786, BELL-CVE-2026-98561, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98561, GHSA-6wr4-6g5h-j9qm, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98561

## What is CVE-2026-98561?

CVE-2026-98561 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 18 Oct 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

nfp: hold IPsec RX state under the XArray lock

nfp_net_ipsec_rx() drops the XArray lock before taking a reference to the
xfrm_state it found. The delete path can erase the entry and drop the last
state reference in that interval. RX can then try to increment a zero
refcount after the state has been queued for destruction.

The driver queues firmware invalidation asynchronously; the delete path
does not wait for the command to complete or drain pending RX processing.

The XFRM garbage collector waits for an RCU grace period before freeing
the state. That delays reclamation but does not make acquiring a reference
from zero valid.

Take the xfrm_state reference before releasing the XArray lock so
xa_erase() cannot run between lookup and reference acquisition.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98561?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-98561?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98561 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98561 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98561 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98561 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 18 Oct 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98561 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-2026-98561/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98561/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98561
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98561
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98561

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98561/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.