# CVE-2026-98581: nfc: llcp: Fix list corruption / refcount desync in nfc_llcp_recv_dm()

> A race condition in the Linux kernel NFC LLCP handler allows local attackers to cause memory exhaustion and denial of service via list corruption.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 18 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-108833, BELL-CVE-2026-98581, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98581, GHSA-h227-88m5-f744, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98581

## What is CVE-2026-98581?

CVE-2026-98581 is a 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:

nfc: llcp: Fix list corruption / refcount desync in nfc_llcp_recv_dm()

nfc_llcp_recv_dm() handles DM(NOBOUND)/DM(REJ) for a socket that is still
linked on local->connecting_sockets: it looks the socket up with
nfc_llcp_connecting_sock_get(), sets sk->sk_state = LLCP_CLOSED and
returns, without taking the socket lock and without unlinking the socket
from the connecting_sockets list.

llcp_sock_release() selects the list to unlink from by sk_state: a socket
in LLCP_CONNECTING is unlinked from connecting_sockets, otherwise from the
sockets list.  Because recv_dm left the socket physically on
connecting_sockets but in the LLCP_CLOSED state, release() takes the else
branch and calls nfc_llcp_sock_unlink(&local->sockets, sk).  That runs
sk_del_node_init() while holding sockets.lock, i.e. it removes the socket
from the connecting_sockets hlist under the wrong lock.  A concurrent
connect() linking another socket onto connecting_sockets under
connecting_sockets.lock then mutates the same hlist unserialized, which
corrupts the list and desyncs the sk_add_node()/sk_del_node_init()
sock_hold()/__sock_put() pairing.  An unprivileged local process holding
LLCP sockets, with the DM supplied by the remote peer over an established
LLCP link, can drive this to leak kernel sockets without bound (the
mis-decrement goes through the non-freeing __sock_put() path, so the
object is never released), leading to memory exhaustion / DoS.

This is the same class of bug that was fixed in the sibling handler
nfc_llcp_recv_cc() by commit b493ea2765cc ("nfc: llcp: Fix use-after-free
race in nfc_llcp_recv_cc()"); recv_dm did not receive the equivalent fix.

Fix it the same way: take lock_sock(), re-check that the socket is still
hashed (release() may have won the race), and for the NOBOUND/REJ case
unlink it from connecting_sockets before moving it to LLCP_CLOSED.  The
unlink drops the connecting_sockets membership reference via
sk_del_node_init(), leaving the socket unhashed, so the later
nfc_llcp_sock_unlink() in llcp_sock_release() becomes a no-op and no
double put occurs.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98581?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-98581?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98581 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98581 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98581 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98581 is a 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98581 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-2026-98581/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98581/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98581
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98581
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98581

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98581/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.