CVE-2026-98388

Published Oct 14, 2026

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: exec: do_close_on_exec() before taking exec_update_lock do_close_on_exec() currently happens while holding the exec_update_lock, which is used in a lot of places that access process state to synchronize access checks. I recently added another such use of exec_update_lock, causing a regression. do_close_on_exec() can block waiting for a reply from a filesystem. That means a hung filesystem can block codepaths that use exec_update_lock; and it also means that a FUSE filesystem which attempts to inspect the calling process can deadlock. To avoid such problems, move do_close_on_exec() before the exec_update_lock is taken, but after the FD table has been copied if necessary. I have looked through all the calls between the old and new position of the do_close_on_exec() call; there seems to be no file descriptor table access in between.

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References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-98388? +
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: exec: do_close_on_exec() before taking exec_update_lock do_close_on_exec() currently happens while holding the exec_update_lock, which is used in a lot of places that access process state to synchronize access checks. I recently added another such use of exec_update_lock, causing a regression. do_close_on_exec() can block waiting for a reply from a filesystem. That means a hung filesystem can block codepaths that use exec_update_lock; and it also means that a FUSE filesystem which attempts to inspect the calling process can deadlock. To avoid such problems, move do_close_on_exec() before the exec_update_lock is taken, but after the FD table has been copied if necessary. I have looked through all the calls between the old and new position of the do_close_on_exec() call; there seems to be no file descriptor table access in between.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-98388? +
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.

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