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Response snapshot Oct 27, 2026, 01:01 UTC

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VulnerabilityCVE-2026-98991

Linux kernel: namespace: queue a mount only once for mount notifications

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: namespace: queue a mount only once for mount notifications mnt_notify_add() puts a mount on notify_list. It doesn't check whether the mount is on the list already.

At a glance

Exploited
Not known
Severity
7.8 High (CVSS 3.1)
Chance of exploitation
0.2% in the next 30 days
Sources
1 source

What to do

Check the vendor advisory for affected versions and fixes.

Read NVD CVE-2026-98991 (opens a new tab)

What happened

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

namespace: queue a mount only once for mount notifications

mnt_notify_add() puts a mount on notify_list. It doesn't check whether the mount is on the list already. That's fine as long as every mount is queued at most once per namespace_sem hold. It isn't.

propagate_umount() moves a surviving overmount off a stack of mounts that are going away and queues it as moved. shrink_submounts() and mark_mounts_for_expiry() call umount_tree() for several mounts under a single namespace_sem hold. So the second umount_tree() can take down exactly the mount the first one reparented, reparent it once more and so end up queueing it a second time.

Continue reading

The second list_add_tail() cuts the mounts queued in between out of the list while the head still points at the last of them. notify_mnt_list() then only visits that one mount and the others are freed after the grace period with notify_list still pointing at them. Every later mount operation on the host walks freed memory:

BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __list_add_valid_or_report Read of size 8 at addr ffff8881003d57e0 by task notify_dq/162 __list_add_valid_or_report+0x15c/0x1a0 mnt_add_to_ns+0x322/0x890 attach_recursive_mnt.isra.0+0xf2a/0x1a00 path_mount+0x139c/0x1d40

This needs a mount with MNT_SHRINKABLE to bind from. That's what finish_automount() creates (submounts of NFS, AFS and CIFS and the tracefs mount below debugfs). Bind mounts inherit the flag. A mount namespace with a FAN_MARK_MNTNS mark does the rest and root in a user namespace can have both.

Initialize to_notify in alloc_vfsmnt() and leave a mount alone that is queued already. mnt_notify() looks at the state the mount has when the list is drained so a single entry per mount is enough. The move event for a mount that is unmounted under the same hold is lost. That's fine. The detach is what matters.

Scores and how they were measured

CVSS base severity

7.8

Version 3.1As of

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Measurement source (opens a new tab)

How bad it is if exploited. Not a prediction of exploitation or proof you are exposed.

EPSS probability

0.2%

Scored Percentile 4.8%

Model and measurement source (opens a new tab)

A model's estimate of exploitation in the next 30 days, not certainty or your own risk.

Related technology

Sources

  1. Primary source

    NVD CVE-2026-98991 (opens a new tab)

    NVD record: description, CVSS (the CNA score is preferred), affected products, and publication date. Not evidence of exploitation.

    Published Checked

  2. Primary source

    NVD CVE API 2.0 (opens a new tab)

    The NVD API page that supplied this CVE record.

    Published Date not suppliedChecked

  3. Primary source

    FIRST measured EPSS score (opens a new tab)

    Measured EPSS probability and percentile for CVE-2026-98991, scored 2026-10-26. This is a model estimate, not proof of exposure.

    Published Checked

Cite this record

For factual claims, cite the primary sources above; cite KEVWire for its compilation, dates, and classifications.

APA

KEVWire. (2026, October 24). Linux kernel: namespace: queue a mount only once for mount notifications (CVE-2026-98991). https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-98991

MLA

"Linux kernel: namespace: queue a mount only once for mount notifications (CVE-2026-98991)." KEVWire, 24 Oct. 2026, kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-98991.

Chicago

KEVWire. "Linux kernel: namespace: queue a mount only once for mount notifications (CVE-2026-98991)." Last modified October 24, 2026. https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-98991.

Evidence summary (plain text)

Linux kernel: namespace: queue a mount only once for mount notifications (Oct 23, 2026).
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

namespace: queue a mount only once for mount notifications

mnt_notify_add() puts a mount on notify_list. It doesn't check whether
the mount is on the list already. That's fine as long as every mount is
queued at most once per namespace_sem hold. It isn't.

propagate_umount() moves a surviving overmount off a stack of mounts
that are going away and queues it as moved. shrink_submounts() and
mark_mounts_for_expiry() call umount_tree() for several mounts under a
single namespace_sem hold. So the second umount_tree() can take down
exactly the mount the first one reparented, reparent it once more and so
end up queueing it a second time.

The second list_add_tail() cuts the mounts queued in between out of the
list while the head still points at the last of them. notify_mnt_list()
then only visits that one mount and the others are freed after the grace
period with notify_list still pointing at them. Every later mount
operation on the host walks freed memory:

  BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __list_add_valid_or_report
  Read of size 8 at addr ffff8881003d57e0 by task notify_dq/162
   __list_add_valid_or_report+0x15c/0x1a0
   mnt_add_to_ns+0x322/0x890
   attach_recursive_mnt.isra.0+0xf2a/0x1a00
   path_mount+0x139c/0x1d40

This needs a mount with MNT_SHRINKABLE to bind from. That's what
finish_automount() creates (submounts of NFS, AFS and CIFS and the
tracefs mount below debugfs). Bind mounts inherit the flag. A mount
namespace with a FAN_MARK_MNTNS mark does the rest and root in a user
namespace can have both.

Initialize to_notify in alloc_vfsmnt() and leave a mount alone that is
queued already. mnt_notify() looks at the state the mount has when the
list is drained so a single entry per mount is enough. The move event
for a mount that is unmounted under the same hold is lost. That's fine.
The detach is what matters.
CVSS 7.8 (version 3.1; evidence as of Oct 24, 2026; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98991).
EPSS 0.2% for the following 30 days, scored Oct 26, 2026 (https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-98991&date=2026-10-26).
Sources:
NVD CVE-2026-98991: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98991
NVD CVE API 2.0: https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?pubStartDate=2026-10-12T13:35:55.142Z&pubEndDate=2026-10-26T13:35:55.142Z&resultsPerPage=500&startIndex=9000
FIRST measured EPSS score: https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-98991&date=2026-10-26
Record ID: CVE-2026-98991.
Record origin: Ingested record.
AI evidence: Not assessed.
Known exploitation: Not assessed.
Zero-day status: Not assessed. KEV membership alone does not establish zero-day status.
About this data

This record was ingested from a data source. Retrieved: Oct 26, 2026, 19:40 UTC. Ingestion is not an independent editorial investigation.

NVD status: Received. Publication in the NVD is not evidence of exploitation.

A CISA KEV listing documents known exploitation, not necessarily a zero-day; absence from the catalog does not prove a vulnerability has never been exploited.

Technology tags indicate possible relevance, not verified exposure. Confirm the affected product, version, and configuration against your own inventory; KEVWire does not scan your systems.

A personal reading checklist on this device, not verified remediation.

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