# CVE-2026-98792: netfilter: flowtable: generalize pending status bit

> A race condition in the Linux kernel netfilter flowtable allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service.

- **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:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-108999, BELL-CVE-2026-98792, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98792, GHSA-j4c9-hvw2-vg7q, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98792

## What is CVE-2026-98792?

CVE-2026-98792 is a 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:

netfilter: flowtable: generalize pending status bit

Rename NF_FLOW_HW_PENDING to NF_FLOW_PENDING and use it to inhibit the
flowtable GC worker until pending hw offload work has been completed.

Apparently, nf_flow_offload_stats() can schedule work to retrieve stats
while the flow is being removed by GC.

And this bit can also be used in a follow up patch to disable GC until
the flow has been fully added in both directions.

Revert the reordering done in commit d644b23afe1e ("netfilter:
flowtable: publish HW_DEAD after worker is done") to prevent a race
between GC and hw offload handler.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98792?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-98792?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98792 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98792 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98792 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98792 is a 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-2026-98792 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-2026-98792/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98792/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98792
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98792
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98792

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98792/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.