CVE-2026-98581

Published Oct 18, 2026 Modified Oct 19, 2026

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfc: llcp: Fix list corruption / refcount desync in nfc_llcp_recv_dm() nfc_llcp_recv_dm() handles DM(NOBOUND)/DM(REJ) for a socket that is still linked on local->connecting_sockets: it looks the socket up with nfc_llcp_connecting_sock_get(), sets sk->sk_state = LLCP_CLOSED and returns, without taking the socket lock and without unlinking the socket from the connecting_sockets list. llcp_sock_release() selects the list to unlink from by sk_state: a socket in LLCP_CONNECTING is unlinked from connecting_sockets, otherwise from the sockets list. Because recv_dm left the socket physically on connecting_sockets but in the LLCP_CLOSED state, release() takes the else branch and calls nfc_llcp_sock_unlink(&local->sockets, sk). That runs sk_del_node_init() while holding sockets.lock, i.e. it removes the socket from the connecting_sockets hlist under the wrong lock. A concurrent connect() linking another socket onto connecting_sockets under connecting_sockets.lock then mutates the same hlist unserialized, which corrupts the list and desyncs the sk_add_node()/sk_del_node_init() sock_hold()/__sock_put() pairing. An unprivileged local process holding LLCP sockets, with the DM supplied by the remote peer over an established LLCP link, can drive this to leak kernel sockets without bound (the mis-decrement goes through the non-freeing __sock_put() path, so the object is never released), leading to memory exhaustion / DoS. This is the same class of bug that was fixed in the sibling handler nfc_llcp_recv_cc() by commit b493ea2765cc ("nfc: llcp: Fix use-after-free race in nfc_llcp_recv_cc()"); recv_dm did not receive the equivalent fix. Fix it the same way: take lock_sock(), re-check that the socket is still hashed (release() may have won the race), and for the NOBOUND/REJ case unlink it from connecting_sockets before moving it to LLCP_CLOSED. The unlink drops the connecting_sockets membership reference via sk_del_node_init(), leaving the socket unhashed, so the later nfc_llcp_sock_unlink() in llcp_sock_release() becomes a no-op and no double put occurs.

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EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0022
Probability of exploitation
0.12%
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-2026-98581? +
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfc: llcp: Fix list corruption / refcount desync in nfc_llcp_recv_dm() nfc_llcp_recv_dm() handles DM(NOBOUND)/DM(REJ) for a socket that is still linked on local->connecting_sockets: it looks the socket up with nfc_llcp_connecting_sock_get(), sets sk->sk_state = LLCP_CLOSED and returns, without taking the socket lock and without unlinking the socket from the connecting_sockets list. llcp_sock_release() selects the list to unlink from by sk_state: a socket in LLCP_CONNECTING is unlinked from connecting_sockets, otherwise from the sockets list. Because recv_dm left the socket physically on connecting_sockets but in the LLCP_CLOSED state, release() takes the else branch and calls nfc_llcp_sock_unlink(&local->sockets, sk). That runs sk_del_node_init() while holding sockets.lock, i.e. it removes the socket from the connecting_sockets hlist under the wrong lock. A concurrent connect() linking another socket onto connecting_sockets under connecting_sockets.lock then mutates the same hlist unserialized, which corrupts the list and desyncs the sk_add_node()/sk_del_node_init() sock_hold()/__sock_put() pairing. An unprivileged local process holding LLCP sockets, with the DM supplied by the remote peer over an established LLCP link, can drive this to leak kernel sockets without bound (the mis-decrement goes through the non-freeing __sock_put() path, so the object is never released), leading to memory exhaustion / DoS. This is the same class of bug that was fixed in the sibling handler nfc_llcp_recv_cc() by commit b493ea2765cc ("nfc: llcp: Fix use-after-free race in nfc_llcp_recv_cc()"); recv_dm did not receive the equivalent fix. Fix it the same way: take lock_sock(), re-check that the socket is still hashed (release() may have won the race), and for the NOBOUND/REJ case unlink it from connecting_sockets before moving it to LLCP_CLOSED. The unlink drops the connecting_sockets membership reference via sk_del_node_init(), leaving the socket unhashed, so the later nfc_llcp_sock_unlink() in llcp_sock_release() becomes a no-op and no double put occurs.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-98581? +
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