Vulnerability in Linux

CVE-2026-98130

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sctp: fix a TOCTOU race in SCTP_CMD_TIMER_START The SCTP_CMD_TIMER_START handler checks timer_pending() before calling timer_reduce(). The timer can expire and detach between these operations, causing timer_reduce() to rearm the timer without taking the association reference required for the newly armed timer. The timer callback later unconditionally drops its association reference, which can leave the association reference count unbalanced and result in use-after-free during association teardown. Use the return value of timer_reduce() to determine whether the timer was actually armed. Take the association reference only when timer_reduce() successfully starts a new timer, closing the race between checking the timer state and rearming it. This issue was reported by Nico Yip (@_cyeaa_) working with TrendAI Zero Day Initiative.

Vulnerability class: Race Condition

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 8.1 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.005 (39.6th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 40th percentile — 39.6% 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-2026-98130: held from 0.006 to 0.005.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.006 · newest: 0.005 · change: -0.001

Affected products

  • Linux — versions 085bb270b4b1168c93afb37bbafc881207d15443, 5.7, 70989e501fbce502198d82da88358ce453575a05
  • Linux Kernel — versions 5.7, 7.3

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-98130?
CVE-2026-98130 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization (Race Condition). CVSS score: 8.1/10. Published 2026-09-25.
How severe is CVE-2026-98130?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.1 out of 10.