# CVE-2026-98834: mtd: core: avoid double-free of OTP NVMEM device

> A double-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel MTD core allows local attackers to cause a denial of service or potentially execute code.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **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-109191, BELL-CVE-2026-98834, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98834, GHSA-cqw6-frjh-g7f6, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98834

## What is CVE-2026-98834?

CVE-2026-98834 is an use after free 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:

mtd: core: avoid double-free of OTP NVMEM device

If factory OTP setup fails after the user OTP NVMEM device has been
registered, mtd_otp_nvmem_add() unregisters the user device but leaves
mtd->otp_user_nvmem set. On an error, the caller unregisters it again.
For -EOPNOTSUPP, registration continues and normal teardown unregisters
it again.

Clear mtd->otp_user_nvmem after unregistering it.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98834?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-98834?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98834 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98834 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98834 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98834 is an use after free 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-2026-98834 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-2026-98834/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98834/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98834
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98834
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98834

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98834/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.