Use After Free in Linux

CVE-2026-98090

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: btrfs: restore active device pointers after failed sprout btrfs_init_new_device() switches latest_dev and possibly s_bdev from the seed device to the new sprout device before creating the first writable chunks. If chunk creation or the subsequent sprout setup fails, the error path releases the new device without switching those pointers back. btrfs_show_devname() can then dereference the freed latest_dev and crash. Restore the active device pointers to the latest seed device before removing and releasing the failed sprout device.

Vulnerability class: Use-After-Free

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: 0.001 (2.0th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 2nd percentile — 2.0% 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-2026-98090: held from 0.002 to 0.001.

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

Affected products

  • Linux — versions 5.16, a6e7e218a4d6488d56727a7d9aee1b7e78c0c485
  • Linux Kernel — versions 7.3

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-98090?
CVE-2026-98090 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under Use After Free. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2026-09-25.
How severe is CVE-2026-98090?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.