CVE-2026-98778 binder: fix is_failure flag for superseded transaction cleanup
A local attacker can trigger a logic error in the Linux kernel binder driver to close unrelated file descriptors, potentially causing denial of service or information disclosure.
- 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-2026-98778?
CVE-2026-98778 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:
binder: fix is_failure flag for superseded transaction cleanup
When a TF_UPDATE_TXN transaction supersedes a pending async transaction, binder_release_entire_buffer() is called with is_failure=false. Since the superseded transaction was never delivered, binder_apply_fd_fixups() was never called and no fds were installed in the target process.
With is_failure=false, the BINDER_TYPE_FDA cleanup handler interprets stale buffer contents as installed fd numbers and passes them to binder_deferred_fd_close(), closing unrelated file descriptors.
Pass is_failure=true since the transaction was never delivered to the target, matching the semantics of all other undelivered-transaction cleanup paths.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98778?
How do I fix CVE-2026-98778?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2026-98778 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98778 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-109454, BELL-CVE-2026-98778, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98778, GHSA-v997-cq9r-p9v8, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98778.