KEVWire

Security intelligence, with context.

Response snapshot Oct 26, 2026, 21:42 UTC

Back to the wire
Permalink
VulnerabilityCVE-2026-98993

Linux kernel: namespace: don't inherit MNT_UMOUNT in clone_mnt()

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: namespace: don't inherit MNT_UMOUNT in clone_mnt() MNT_UMOUNT gets raised on a mount that umount_tree() or umount_one() has taken out of its namespace. It's never cleared.

Published Updated

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-2026-98993 (opens a new tab)

What happened

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

namespace: don't inherit MNT_UMOUNT in clone_mnt()

MNT_UMOUNT gets raised on a mount that umount_tree() or umount_one() has taken out of its namespace. It's never cleared. __detach_mounts() unhooks a mount that carries it instead of unmounting it.

disconnect_mount() lets an unmounted child stay attached only if its parent carries it. propagate_umount() takes it as the sign that a mount is going to be unmounted when it decides what else can be unmounted, where a chain of locked mounts ends and where a for reparenting an overmount.

Continue reading

clone_mnt() copies the flags of the source and only masks MNT_INTERNAL_FLAGS which doesn't include MNT_UMOUNT. A mount that was lazily unmounted but is kept alive by a file descriptor can still be copied when its root is an nsfs or pidfs file because may_copy_tree() accepts those before checking whether the source is mounted at all:

mount --bind /proc/self/ns/net /tmp/x exec 3< /tmp/x umount -l /tmp/x mount --bind /proc/self/fd/3 /tmp/y

The mount on /tmp/y is attached to the caller's namespace with MNT_UMOUNT already set and every copy of it inherits the flag again.

That causes a number of bugs:

- Unlink its mountpoint from a mount namespace where it isn't one. __detach_mounts() takes it for a mount that was unmounted earlier, unhooks it from its parent and drops the reference the namespace holds on it. It stays in the namespace with one reference too few and as its own parent, so it can't be unmounted through the file descriptor anymore and the namespace never finds it again.

When the namespace goes away it's leaked and points to a freed struct mnt_namespace that may_change_propagation() and anon_ns_root() read on the next propagation change or mount_setattr() through the file descriptor.

- Make it shared and unmount a peer. trace_transfers() follows the flag from the peer into it and strips it from its peer group.

- Let a propagated umount reach it. gather_candidates() marks it with T_UMOUNT_CANDIDATE but never puts it on the candidate list, so the mark is never cleared and every later propagated umount skips it.

If it's the parent of a locked mount handle_locked() takes it as the cutoff and commits the locked child that should have stayed and disconnect_mount() leaves that child attached to it, unmounted under a mounted parent, which is what disconnect_mount() exists to prevent. When the namespace goes away umount_tree() visits the child a second time.

And once __detach_mounts() has made it its own parent reparent() never finds the end of the chain of unmounted parents.

A clone is a new mount that has never been unmounted. Add MNT_UMOUNT to MNT_INTERNAL_FLAGS so clone_mnt() never copies it. And warn when umount_tree() reaches a mount that already has it set.

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 7.0%

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-2026-98993 (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-2026-98993, 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: don't inherit MNT_UMOUNT in clone_mnt() (CVE-2026-98993). https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-98993

MLA

"Linux kernel: namespace: don't inherit MNT_UMOUNT in clone_mnt() (CVE-2026-98993)." KEVWire, 24 Oct. 2026, kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-98993.

Chicago

KEVWire. "Linux kernel: namespace: don't inherit MNT_UMOUNT in clone_mnt() (CVE-2026-98993)." Last modified October 24, 2026. https://kevwire.com/record/CVE-2026-98993.

Evidence summary (plain text)

Linux kernel: namespace: don't inherit MNT_UMOUNT in clone_mnt() (Oct 23, 2026).
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

namespace: don't inherit MNT_UMOUNT in clone_mnt()

MNT_UMOUNT gets raised on a mount that umount_tree() or umount_one() has
taken out of its namespace. It's never cleared. __detach_mounts()
unhooks a mount that carries it instead of unmounting it.

disconnect_mount() lets an unmounted child stay attached only if its
parent carries it. propagate_umount() takes it as the sign that a mount
is going to be unmounted when it decides what else can be unmounted,
where a chain of locked mounts ends and where a for reparenting an
overmount.

clone_mnt() copies the flags of the source and only masks
MNT_INTERNAL_FLAGS which doesn't include MNT_UMOUNT. A mount that was
lazily unmounted but is kept alive by a file descriptor can still be
copied when its root is an nsfs or pidfs file because may_copy_tree()
accepts those before checking whether the source is mounted at all:

  mount --bind /proc/self/ns/net /tmp/x
  exec 3< /tmp/x
  umount -l /tmp/x
  mount --bind /proc/self/fd/3 /tmp/y

The mount on /tmp/y is attached to the caller's namespace with
MNT_UMOUNT already set and every copy of it inherits the flag again.

That causes a number of bugs:

- Unlink its mountpoint from a mount namespace where it isn't one.
  __detach_mounts() takes it for a mount that was unmounted earlier,
  unhooks it from its parent and drops the reference the namespace
  holds on it. It stays in the namespace with one reference too few
  and as its own parent, so it can't be unmounted through the file
  descriptor anymore and the namespace never finds it again. When the
  namespace goes away it's leaked and points to a freed struct
  mnt_namespace that may_change_propagation() and anon_ns_root() read
  on the next propagation change or mount_setattr() through the file
  descriptor.

- Make it shared and unmount a peer. trace_transfers() follows the
  flag from the peer into it and strips it from its peer group.

- Let a propagated umount reach it. gather_candidates() marks it with
  T_UMOUNT_CANDIDATE but never puts it on the candidate list, so the
  mark is never cleared and every later propagated umount skips it. If
  it's the
CVSS 7.8 (version 3.1; evidence as of Oct 24, 2026; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98993).
EPSS 0.2% for the following 30 days, scored Oct 26, 2026 (https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-98993&date=2026-10-26).
Sources:
NVD CVE-2026-98993: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98993
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-2026-98993&date=2026-10-26
Record ID: CVE-2026-98993.
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.

Record JSON

Your account

Email alerts

Email alerts are not available yet. To follow your stack today, use its RSS feed, which honors your filters, or connect an AI agent through the API.

Suggest an improvement

Ideas, missing sources, corrections, and bugs are all welcome. No account needed. Suggestions are reviewed by a person before anything changes.

Record details

Record detail