CVE-2026-98289
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Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-98289, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

Publication date: 2026-10-06

Last updated on: 2026-10-19

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: af_unix: Unify scc_index when finalising SCC in __unix_walk_scc(). Commit bfdb01283ee8 ("af_unix: Assign a unique index to SCC.") changed Tarjan's algorithm to update lowlink with lowlink, which is called lowpoint (unix_vertex.scc_index). unix_vertex_dead() assumes all vertices in an SCC share the same lowpoint, but this is not always true if an SCC has two or more back edges, depending on the order of DFS. For example, the graph below has two back edges from B to A and from C to B. A --> B --> C ^ | ^ | `----' `----' If DFS walks through A -> B -> C -> B (-> C -> B) -> A (-> B -> A), each index and scc_index will be updated as follows. A --> B --> C C = (3, 3) (index, scc_index) B = (2, 2) A = (1, 1) A ... B ... C C = (3, 2)<-. ^ | B = (2, 2) -' `----' A = (1, 1) A ... B ... C C = (3, 2) ^ | . . B = (2, 1)<-. `----' .... A = (1, 1) -' Then, unix_vertex_dead() thinks that B is passed to another SCC with scc_index 2, and the SCC is not garbage-collected. This does not happen if DFS walks in a different order below or starts from B. 1 3 A --> B --> C ^ | ^ | `----' `----' 2 4 Let's unify scc_index across the SCC when finalising it. Note that updating v->index was previously done in unix_scc_dead(), when called from __unix_walk_scc(), just to save one loop. Since __unix_walk_scc() now iterates over the SCC anyway, the update is moved back to __unix_walk_scc() and 'fast' argument is dropped.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-10-06
Last Modified
2026-10-19
Generated
2026-10-19
AI Q&A
2026-10-06
EPSS Evaluated
2026-10-18
NVD
EUVD

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 8 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
Linux Linux 4090fa373f0e763c43610853d2774b5979915959
Linux Linux 4090fa373f0e763c43610853d2774b5979915959
Linux Linux 4090fa373f0e763c43610853d2774b5979915959
Linux Linux 5dfd283f4651d04dbb70ceb9ae5c4a30eda3c52a
Linux Linux de7921631ff323369aa63a4324695ab54ea4047e
Linux Linux 6.1.141
Linux Linux 6.6.93
Linux Linux 6.10

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves a flaw in Tarjan's algorithm used for finding strongly connected components (SCCs) in the AF_UNIX socket code. The issue occurs when finalizing SCCs in __unix_walk_scc(), where the scc_index (lowpoint) is not consistently updated across all vertices in an SCC. This can lead to incorrect garbage collection of SCCs, potentially causing memory leaks or other undefined behavior.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's AF_UNIX socket implementation and requires kernel-level analysis. Detection involves checking kernel versions and examining the affected function __unix_walk_scc(). No direct network or system commands exist for detection as it is not an externally exploitable issue.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability primarily affects systems running vulnerable versions of the Linux kernel. It may lead to memory leaks in the AF_UNIX socket subsystem, which could degrade system performance over time. In severe cases, it might cause instability or crashes in applications relying on AF_UNIX sockets.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability is a Linux kernel issue related to memory management in Unix domain sockets. It does not directly impact compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or similar standards as it is not a data privacy or security breach but a potential system stability issue.

Mitigation Strategies

Update your Linux kernel to the latest patched version to resolve this vulnerability. Check your distribution's security advisories for the specific kernel version that includes the fix for CVE-2026-98289.

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