CVE-2026-98281
HIGH
Published Oct 6, 2026
Modified Oct 7, 2026
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: futex: Also allocate private hash on vfork() As Jann demonstrated, it is entirely feasible to access the mm through vfork(). Therefore we need to allocate a private hash on vfork() as well as any other CLONE_VM user. Specifically, it must be avoided to have (private) futex waiters before allocating the private hash.
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CVSS v3.1 Score
7.8
HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS — Exploit Prediction
0.0013
Probability of exploitation
0.02%
Percentile rank
EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-98281? +
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
futex: Also allocate private hash on vfork()
As Jann demonstrated, it is entirely feasible to access the mm through vfork().
Therefore we need to allocate a private hash on vfork() as well as any other
CLONE_VM user.
Specifically, it must be avoided to have (private) futex waiters before
allocating the private hash. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).
How severe is CVE-2026-98281? +
CVE-2026-98281 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0013, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-98281? +
You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.
