Linux kernel BPF CO-RE poisons non-relocatable instructions
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
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- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Fixed
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
The Linux kernel from 5.6 is affected. The BPF CO-RE relocation code poisons a target instruction before checking whether that instruction can be relocated. Malformed relocation metadata can therefore replace jumps, calls, exits or other instructions that should fail at the relocation step instead.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Restrict CO-RE poisoning to relocatable instructions CO-RE relocation records can name any instruction offset. When a relocation cannot be resolved, bpf_core_patch_insn() currently poisons its target before checking whether that instruction is a valid relocation target. Malformed metadata can therefore replace jumps, calls, exits, register-source arithmetic, or non-immediate loads instead of failing at the relocation step. Handle poisoning only after the instruction has passed the same class and operand-form checks used for a resolved relocation. Route invalid forms through the existing diagnostic and return a hard error. Keep poisoning supported instructions, including both halves of a plain ldimm64, so an unresolved relocation in dead code remains valid. Extend bpf_core_poison_insn() to poison both halves of ldimm64, and return its status directly from each validated instruction case. This avoids routing the success path through a common label and leaves the helper free to report errors. The shared relocation code applies this restriction to both libbpf and in-kernel CO-RE.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
Update to a fixed Linux kernel version: 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9 or 7.3.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9, 7.3
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 7 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5
Timeline
- 2026-10-18 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98626
- 2026-10-18 Alias added: GHSA-7qcx-cmxq-wh7w
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-21 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-21 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a8c47e62d9aea2d47a09e06c1682c59c21b92449
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d3219c229d16900cef936adad28633c98946e432
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a0b79cdfcf34b53c85bac2d3cf022fc1342eeca0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f2a24101e89dd0804e717da7c1bd6af513698aa2
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2d7d04357c41aa49a5ac658fcc207439f2ad6456
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8e4cbcca1e0a2fc5e6c8edb68e0cf5f2587f9319
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/394ae398337c5f87e567f6cd63b937fc2b2f6ddc
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Sources
- CVE-2026-98626 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98626 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-7qcx-cmxq-wh7w · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98626 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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