CVE-2026-98840

vc_screen: reload vc pointer before if (ret) in vcs_write() to avoid UAF

CVE-2026-98840 is fixed in 49 products on 1 platform, first by DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98840, released October 19, 2026. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: Routine.

Routine
CVSS
4.7
Moderate
Exploitation
None reported
No vendor assessment
CISA KEV
Not listed
Not in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
EPSS
0.0018
7th percentile

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: vc_screen: reload vc pointer before if (ret) in vcs_write() to avoid UAF The reload of 'vc' added by commit 8fb9ea65c9d1 ("vc_screen: reload load of struct vc_data pointer in vcs_write() to avoid UAF") sits after the 'if (ret)' block, so the copy-failure break path exits the loop without reloading vc. If the vc was kfree()'d via vc_port_destruct during the unlocked copy_from_user() window, the post-loop 'if (written && vc) vcs_scr_updated(vc)' is reached with a stale non-NULL vc. The '&& vc' guard from commit a287620312dc ("vc_screen: fix null-ptr-deref in vcs_notifier() during concurrent vcs_write") only handles the NULL case, not this stale-non-NULL case; vcs_notifier() then reads param->vc->vc_num from freed memory: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in vcs_notifier+0x7c/0xd0 Read of size 2 at addr ffff888007149190 Call Trace: vcs_notifier+0x7c/0xd0 atomic_notifier_call_chain+0x70/0xa0 vcs_scr_updated+0x77/0xa0 vcs_write+0x71b/0x7e0 Allocated by task: vc_allocate -> con_install -> tty_open Freed by task: kfree <- vt_ioctl (VT_DISALLOCATE -> vc_port_destruct) Move the reload to immediately after console_lock(), before 'if (ret)', so every break path below passes a fresh vc to the post-loop vcs_scr_updated().

Where it's fixed

ProductFixed inFixReleased
Linux
bpftool6.12 · amzn 2023 1:6.12.113-138.209.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
bpftool6.12-debuginfo · amzn 2023 1:6.12.113-138.209.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
bpftool6.18 · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
bpftool6.18-debuginfo · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
kernel-64kb · sles 15.7 6.4.0-150700.53.90.1 SUSE-SU-2026:5091-1 Nov 7, 2026
kernel-azure · sles 15.7 6.4.0-150700.53.90.1 SUSE-SU-2026:5091-1 Nov 7, 2026
kernel-default · sles 15.7 6.4.0-150700.53.90.1 SUSE-SU-2026:5091-1 Nov 7, 2026
kernel-default-base · sles 15.7 6.4.0-150700.53.90.1.150700.17.51.1 SUSE-SU-2026:5091-1 Nov 7, 2026
kernel-docs · sles 15.7 6.4.0-150700.53.90.1 SUSE-SU-2026:5091-1 Nov 7, 2026
kernel-livepatch-6.12.113-138.209 · amzn 2023 1:1.0-0.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
kernel-livepatch-6.18.56-125.164 · amzn 2023 1:1.0-0.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7_Update_24 · sles 15.7 1-150700.15.3.1 SUSE-SU-2026:5091-1 Nov 7, 2026
kernel-obs-build · sles 15.7 6.4.0-150700.53.90.1 SUSE-SU-2026:5091-1 Nov 7, 2026
kernel-source · sles 15.7 6.4.0-150700.53.90.1 SUSE-SU-2026:5091-1 Nov 7, 2026
kernel-syms · sles 15.7 6.4.0-150700.53.90.1 SUSE-SU-2026:5091-1 Nov 7, 2026
kernel-zfcpdump · sles 15.7 6.4.0-150700.53.90.1 SUSE-SU-2026:5091-1 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.12 · amzn 2023 1:6.12.113-138.209.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.12-debuginfo · amzn 2023 1:6.12.113-138.209.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.12-debuginfo-common-aarch64 · amzn 2023 1:6.12.113-138.209.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.12-debuginfo-common-x86_64 · amzn 2023 1:6.12.113-138.209.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.12-devel · amzn 2023 1:6.12.113-138.209.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.12-headers · amzn 2023 1:6.12.113-138.209.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.12-modules-extra · amzn 2023 1:6.12.113-138.209.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.12-modules-extra-common · amzn 2023 1:6.12.113-138.209.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.12-tools · amzn 2023 1:6.12.113-138.209.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.12-tools-debuginfo · amzn 2023 1:6.12.113-138.209.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.12-tools-devel · amzn 2023 1:6.12.113-138.209.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.18 · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.18-debuginfo · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.18-debuginfo-common-aarch64 · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.18-debuginfo-common-x86_64 · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.18-devel · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.18-headers · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.18-modules-extra · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.18-modules-extra-common · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.18-tools · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.18-tools-debuginfo · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
kernel6.18-tools-devel · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
linux · Debian 13.5 (trixie) 6.12.113-1 DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98840 Oct 19, 2026
linux · Debian 14 7.2.10-1 DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98840 Oct 19, 2026
linux-6.12 · Debian 12.15 (bookworm) 6.12.113-1~deb12u1 DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98840 Oct 19, 2026
microvm-kernel6.18 · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
perf6.12 · amzn 2023 1:6.12.113-138.209.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
perf6.12-debuginfo · amzn 2023 1:6.12.113-138.209.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
perf6.18 · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
perf6.18-debuginfo · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
python3-perf6.12 · amzn 2023 1:6.12.113-138.209.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
python3-perf6.12-debuginfo · amzn 2023 1:6.12.113-138.209.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 Nov 7, 2026
python3-perf6.18 · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026
python3-perf6.18-debuginfo · amzn 2023 1:6.18.56-125.164.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3251 Nov 7, 2026

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