CVE-2026-98842
Received Received - Intake

Module Load Failure in Linux Kernel Leads to Memory Leak

Publication date: 2026-10-18

Last updated on: 2026-10-18

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: module: fix lost error code from codetag_load_module() If codetag_load_module() fails, err is not set to reflect the failure and load_module() returns 0 after the module has been torn down. Also, if the module is a livepatch, mod->klp_info allocated by copy_module_elf() leaks on this error path. Free it via a new livepatch_cleanup label.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-10-18
Last Modified
2026-10-18
Generated
2026-10-18
AI Q&A
2026-10-18
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-98842
EUVD
EUVD-2026-103782

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 6 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
Linux Linux 044d2aee6c575231ed4a24fb3d119bad0937488b
Linux Linux 044d2aee6c575231ed4a24fb3d119bad0937488b
Linux Linux 044d2aee6c575231ed4a24fb3d119bad0937488b
Linux Linux b6bbbb8ef48dde09c0dbd77121fa0f09b0237fec
Linux Linux 6.15.4
Linux Linux 6.16

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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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 an error handling flaw in the module loading process. When codetag_load_module() fails, the error code is not properly set, causing load_module() to incorrectly return success (0) even after the module is torn down. Additionally, memory allocated for livepatch information leaks in this error path.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could lead to system instability or crashes if a module fails to load properly but the system believes it loaded successfully. It may also cause memory leaks, reducing system performance over time. For livepatch modules, it could result in incomplete or incorrect patching of the kernel.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the Linux kernel to the latest patched version to resolve the module loading error and memory leak in codetag_load_module().

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