Vulnerability in Linux

CVE-2026-98049

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: zero extend the result of an arena 32-bit cmpxchg bpf_convert_ctx_accesses() rewrites an atomic on an arena pointer from BPF_STX | BPF_ATOMIC to BPF_STX | BPF_PROBE_ATOMIC, and it runs before bpf_opt_subreg_zext_lo32_rnd_hi32(). That pass emits an explicit zero extension for a 32-bit cmpxchg even when bpf_jit_needs_zext() is false. This is done because on some architectures 32-bit cmpxchg requires explicit zero extension for the dst register. E.g. on x86-64 'lock cmpxchg' does not change the %eax if comparison is successful, while BPF semantics declare that each operation on a 32-bit register zero extends it's upper half. is_cmpxchg_insn() matches BPF_MODE == BPF_ATOMIC only, so an arena cmpxchg misses said zero extension adjustment. This patch adjusts is_cmpxchg_insn() to match BPF_PROBE_ATOMIC alongside BPF_ATOMIC.

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 5.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.002 (4.6th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 5th percentile — 4.6% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2026-98049: held from 0.001 to 0.002.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.001 · newest: 0.002 · change: +0.000

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-98049?
CVE-2026-98049 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under Incorrect Conversion between Numeric Types. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2026-09-25.
How severe is CVE-2026-98049?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.