Double free in Linux kernel - CVE-2026-98855
Published: October 22, 2026
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a local privileged user to potentially cause a denial of service through kernel memory corruption.
The vulnerability exists due to a double free in add_changeset_property() in the Linux kernel device tree overlay subsystem when adding a property to a not-yet-live target node fails. A local privileged user can trigger this failure during overlay processing to potentially cause a kernel crash: the error path frees the property while leaving its pointer in the node's deadprops list, and of_node_release() frees it again when the aborted overlay's node is released.
Affected software
Ubuntu
linux (Ubuntu package)
linux-lowlatency (Ubuntu package)
linux-raspi (Ubuntu package)
linux-azure (Ubuntu package)
linux-gcp (Ubuntu package)
linux-aws (Ubuntu package)
linux-ibm (Ubuntu package)
linux-oracle (Ubuntu package)
linux-nvidia (Ubuntu package)
linux-realtime (Ubuntu package)
linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.8 (Ubuntu package)
linux-azure-fde-6.8 (Ubuntu package)
linux-azure-6.8 (Ubuntu package)
linux-oracle-6.8 (Ubuntu package)
linux-aws-6.8 (Ubuntu package)
linux-gkeop (Ubuntu package)
linux-gke (Ubuntu package)
linux-vmware (Ubuntu package)
linux-ibm-6.8 (Ubuntu package)
linux-gcp-6.8 (Ubuntu package)
linux-aws-fips (Ubuntu package)
linux-gcp-fips (Ubuntu package)
linux-azure-fips (Ubuntu package)
linux-raspi-realtime (Ubuntu package)
linux-realtime-6.8 (Ubuntu package)
linux-oracle-7.0 (Ubuntu package)
linux-azure-fde-7.0 (Ubuntu package)
linux-gcp-7.0 (Ubuntu package)
linux-oem-7.0 (Ubuntu package)
linux-azure-fde (Ubuntu package)
linux-aws-7.0 (Ubuntu package)
How to mitigate CVE-2026-98855
linux (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 6.8.0-149.149, 7.0.0-43.43
linux-lowlatency (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-149.149.1
linux-raspi (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 6.8.0-1068.72, 7.0.0-1023.23
linux-azure (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 6.8.0-1073.82, 7.0.0-1020.21
linux-gcp (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 6.8.0-1073.81, 7.0.0-1017.19
linux-aws (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 6.8.0-1069.74, 7.0.0-1017.18
linux-ibm (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 6.8.0-1069.70, 7.0.0-1018.18
linux-oracle (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 6.8.0-1067.71, 7.0.0-1016.18
linux-nvidia (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1067.70
linux-realtime (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 6.8.1-1064.65, 7.0.0-43.43.1
linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.8 (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-149.149.1~22.04.1
linux-azure-fde-6.8 (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1071.78~22.04.1
linux-azure-6.8 (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1073.82~22.04.1
linux-oracle-6.8 (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1067.71~22.04.1
linux-aws-6.8 (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1069.74~22.04.1
linux-gkeop (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1053.57
linux-gke (Ubuntu package) - addressed in versions 6.8.0-1068.77, 7.0.0-1010.11
linux-vmware (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1010.10
linux-ibm-6.8 (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1069.70~22.04.1
linux-gcp-6.8 (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1073.81~22.04.1
linux-aws-fips (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1069.74+fips1
linux-gcp-fips (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1073.81+fips1
linux-azure-fips (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-1073.82+fips1
linux-raspi-realtime (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.0-2056.58
linux-realtime-6.8 (Ubuntu package) - update to 6.8.1-1064.65~22.04.1
linux-oracle-7.0 (Ubuntu package) - update to 7.0.0-1016.18~24.04.1
linux-azure-fde-7.0 (Ubuntu package) - update to 7.0.0-1019.19~24.04.1
linux-gcp-7.0 (Ubuntu package) - update to 7.0.0-1017.19~24.04.1
linux-oem-7.0 (Ubuntu package) - update to 7.0.0-1018.18
linux-azure-fde (Ubuntu package) - update to 7.0.0-1019.19
linux-aws-7.0 (Ubuntu package) - update to 7.0.0-1017.18~24.04.1
External References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5857035a3b53a4e7b5a0d5a740189901ece0b079
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7dc6a769153c0457077a0da4888a00f61e66de15
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/814f2da6995772c07a7c9c2cc6028b6e3f3ecc9c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/936f1ffcb87a1c50938a21176a6463af162cf4b5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d5151496a0a2b19c9c0c7b0ebf86b3de55a8fa3a
Related Security Bulletins
- Double free in Linux kernel of driver
- Ubuntu update for linux, linux-aws, linux-gcp and more
- Ubuntu update for linux-azure
- Ubuntu update for linux-aws-7.0, linux-azure-fde, linux-azure-fde-7.0 and more
- Ubuntu update for linux-aws-fips, linux-gcp-fips, linux-gkeop and more
- Ubuntu update for linux-azure-6.8, linux-azure-fde-6.8
- Ubuntu update for linux-oracle-6.8, linux-raspi, linux-raspi-realtime
- Ubuntu update for linux-aws-6.8, linux-gcp-6.8, linux-ibm-6.8 and more
- Ubuntu update for linux, linux-aws, linux-azure and more
- Ubuntu update for linux-raspi