CVE-2026-99084
UnknownSummary
In the Linux kernel, a flaw was fixed in iterate_dir() where the directory's i_rwsem lock was held during readdir even for immutable directories that are never removed. For the nullfs instance directory (shared across mount namespaces and kernel threads), a malicious reader could hold the lock indefinitely, blocking mkdir, lookups, and mounts for other users. A new FOP_IMMUTABLE flag was added to skip the lock for such directories.
Risk Assessment
The vulnerability allows one user of an empty mount namespace to stall all other users sharing the same directory (e.g., the root of the initial mount namespace or kernel threads), causing a denial of service (DoS) by hanging filesystem operations.
Recommendation
Update the Linux kernel to a version containing the fix (introducing the FOP_IMMUTABLE flag and skipping the i_rwsem lock for immutable directories).
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
See all- CVE-2026-58942High
In do_fault_around of memory.c, there is a possible use after free due to a logic error in the code. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed.
- CVE-2026-58847Unknown
In kvm_vfio_pviommu_attach of vfio.c, there is a possible double free due to a logic error in the code. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation.
- CVE-2026-58829High
In fuse_backing_mmap of backing.c, there is a possible memory corruption due to a use after free. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed.
- CVE-2026-58828High
In multiple functions of base.c, there is a possible use-after-free due to a race condition. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed.
- CVE-2026-58827High
In multiple functions of dma-buf.c, there is a possible use after free due to a race condition. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed.
- CVE-2026-58826High
In ksys_unshare of fork.c, there is a possible memory corruption due to a use after free. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed.
- CVE-2026-58825High
In multiple functions of fork.c, there is a possible use after free due to a logic error in the code. This could lead to local escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed.
- CVE-2026-99242Unknown
In the Linux kernel, a race between fallocate and mmap reads in NTFS was fixed. Fallocate only took invalidate_lock for punch hole, collapse range and insert range operations, and during standard allocation new clusters were mapped before being zeroed, allowing concurrent mmap page faults to read uninitialized disk data.
- CVE-2026-99241Unknown
In the Linux kernel, a missing lock in ntfs_filemap_page_mkwrite() was fixed; it called iomap_page_mkwrite() without holding mapping->invalidate_lock. A concurrent truncate or fallocate could be invalidating pagecache and rewriting the runlist while the write fault mapped blocks and dirtied the folio.
- CVE-2026-99240Unknown
In the Linux kernel, the DAMON subsystem (mm/damon/core) has a division-by-zero bug when a DAMOS quota goal has a target_value of zero. The fix moves handling of this corner case to the core layer by adding validation in damos_commit_quota_goal(), which now returns an error for zero target values.
Original NVD description (English source)
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: readdir: take no inode lock on an immutable directory iterate_dir() takes the directory's i_rwsem shared and holds it across ->iterate_shared(). For a directory that never has an entry and is never removed the lock keeps nothing still, it only orders every reader and every writer of that inode behind each other. For the directory of a nullfs instance that matters. The instance of the initial mount namespace is the root of every empty mount namespace and the private instance is the root of every kernel thread, so one inode is shared across users who have nothing else in common. And a reader can hold the lock for as long as it likes: back the getdents() buffer with a mapping of a file on a FUSE mount of your own, let the copy of "." and ".." fault and let the server wait. Queue an exclusive taker behind it, a mkdir() in that directory goes through start_dirop() before the read-only mount is reported, and from then on every lookup that misses the dcache in that directory, every create and every mount on it waits until the server answers. One user of an empty mount namespace stalls all the others. Add FOP_IMMUTABLE for the file operations of a directory that never changes and is never removed and let iterate_dir() skip the lock for it. The flag never changes for a file, ->f_pos is protected by f_pos_lock since directories are FMODE_ATOMIC_POS, IS_DEADDIR can't be set on such a directory and neither touch_atime() nor fsnotify take i_rwsem. Set it on the nullfs directory. The placeholder directories of libfs never have an entry either but their owners remove them, so they keep the lock.
Vulnerability data from NVD (NIST) · CISA KEV · EPSS

