CVE-2026-98992

namespace: don't copy an unmounted mount tree

CVE-2026-98992 is fixed in 19 products on 1 platform, first by DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98992, released October 24, 2026. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: Routine.

Routine
CVSS
4.4
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: namespace: don't copy an unmounted mount tree may_copy_tree() accepts a mount whose root is an nsfs or pidfs file before it checks whether that mount is mounted. This exception exists for nsfs and pidfs mounts. They are part of no mount namespace so neither check_mnt() nor is_mounted() would let them through and bind-mounting a nsfsfd or a pidfd wouldn't work. Problem is that exception also admits a bind mount of such a file when it was lazily unmounted and is only kept alive by a file descriptor: mount --bind /proc/self/ns/net /tmp/x exec 3< /tmp/x umount -l /tmp/x mount --rbind /proc/self/fd/3 /tmp/y With MS_REC or AT_RECURSIVE copy_tree() doesn't stop at the unmounted mount. It copies every mount that stayed attached to it as well. So if you have a bunch of overmounts over the nsfsfd or the pidfd the whole unmounted stack is copied. That's a bug. So refuse to walk an unmounted tree. Copying its root alone stays possible. So a bind mount of a namespace that is gone can still be recreated from a file descriptor on the old one. The file descriptor pins that mount and its root and __has_locked_children() only reads the direct children which don't leave the parent's list without namespace_sem. The internal mounts carry MNT_NS_INTERNAL instead of NULL and are still walked. Copying an unmounted tree recursively fails with EINVAL.

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
kernel-livepatch-6.12.113-138.209 · amzn 2023 1:1.0-0.amzn2023 ALAS2023-2026-3335 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
linux · Debian 13.5 (trixie) 6.12.113-1 DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98992 Oct 24, 2026
linux · Debian 14 7.2.11-1 DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98992 Oct 24, 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
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

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