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CVE-2026-98289

Linux: af_unix: Unify scc_index when finalising SCC in __unix_walk_scc().

Linux LinuxOperating systems
CVSS
NoneNot scored
ExploitationNo known exploitationNot in CISA KEV, which does not prove it is unexploitedCISA KEV
Exploit odds (EPSS)0.17%Chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 6% of CVEs. Scored 23 Oct 2026FIRST EPSS
Fixed in4a4263dfeabad72f95e8ab6e15146861fa4144ddAlso 6.2, 6.7CVE List
Published6 Oct 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026CVE List

What fixes it

A fixed version on one release line is not the upgrade target for every line. Check your exact version and any vendor backports.

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.

Text from CVE List

Affected versions 12

  • Linuxaffected: 4090fa373f0e763c43610853d2774b5979915959 before b8f71d69380a5fbc734c868acbeb560f1de1766fCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 4090fa373f0e763c43610853d2774b5979915959 before be550ee108ad80828aa61280400bedfc7e7c39d3CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 4090fa373f0e763c43610853d2774b5979915959 before 4a4263dfeabad72f95e8ab6e15146861fa4144ddCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 5dfd283f4651d04dbb70ceb9ae5c4a30eda3c52aCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: de7921631ff323369aa63a4324695ab54ea4047eCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 6.1.141 before 6.2CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 6.6.93 before 6.7CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 6.10CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: all versions before 6.10CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.18.54 through 6.18.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.2.8 through 7.2.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.3CVE List

References 3