# bpf: Keep refcount_acquire nullable for borrowed RCU kptrs

CVE record · `CVE-2026-98038`

- **Identifiers:** `CVE-2026-98038`
- **State:** Confirmed
- **Severity:** No CVSS score
- **Critical:** No
- **CNA:** Linux
- **Technologies:** [Linux kernel](https://agentprime.io/advisories/technology/linux-kernel.md)
- **Published:** 25 Sept 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Reviewed by a person:** No

Published by the CVE Program (CNA: Linux) at 25 Sept 2026, 10:23 UTC. agentprime has not analysed this yet, so whether it affects any app is not known. This CVE names a vendor and product rather than a package, so the lockfile check doesn’t match it.

## Affected products, as the CNA wrote them

- Vendor: Linux. Product: Linux.
  - affected: `1b12171533a9bb23cf6fba7262b479028b65e1e8 to before 85bfc8b6db43502444c428eaa2de20bdd2fb9064` (git)
  - affected: `1b12171533a9bb23cf6fba7262b479028b65e1e8 to before 8d19e2cdfba9ba8c8eb6a459cd666bec00a1d2c6` (git)
  - affected: `1b12171533a9bb23cf6fba7262b479028b65e1e8 to before 85074498228a2500ea8b8039c49cc1ab8ad5328f` (git)
  - affected: `1b12171533a9bb23cf6fba7262b479028b65e1e8 to before dc36739e5cc9f60485418a910b42bc95339218d2` (git)
  - Other versions: unaffected
- Vendor: Linux. Product: Linux.
  - affected: `6.8`
  - unaffected: `before 6.8` (semver)
  - unaffected: `6.12.114 to 6.12.*, inclusive` (semver)
  - unaffected: `6.18.57 to 6.18.*, inclusive` (semver)
  - unaffected: `7.2.7 to 7.2.*, inclusive` (semver)
  - unaffected: `7.3 to *, inclusive` (original_commit_for_fix)
  - Other versions: affected

## Not analysed yet

We haven’t published our own analysis of this CVE. If a person reviews it, this page will say what’s affected and what has to be true for it to matter.

## Severity and exploitation

No source has published a CVSS score for this record yet.

- **CISA KEV:** Not listed.
- **EPSS:** 0.0022, the 11th percentile, on 12 Nov 2026: FIRST’s estimate of the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

## Timeline

This record came from the full history of the CVE Program, published 25 Sept 2026. New records show when each source confirmed them.

## Sources

- [CVE List: CVE-2026-98038](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98038)
- [NVD: CVE-2026-98038](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98038)

### References from the CNA

- <https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/85bfc8b6db43502444c428eaa2de20bdd2fb9064>
- <https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8d19e2cdfba9ba8c8eb6a459cd666bec00a1d2c6>
- <https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/85074498228a2500ea8b8039c49cc1ab8ad5328f>
- <https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dc36739e5cc9f60485418a910b42bc95339218d2>

Facts on this page come from the CVE List as the CNA published them, with CVSS from the sources named above, CISA KEV and FIRST EPSS. Vendors, products and versions are shown as the CNA wrote them. We don’t reproduce the CVE’s description.

## Check whether this affects you

This CVE names a vendor and product rather than a package, so the lockfile check doesn’t match it. Compare the affected versions above with what you run.

- With the agentprime MCP server (<https://api.agentprime.io/mcp>), `get_advisory` returns this record and `search_advisories` finds related ones. Setup: <https://agentprime.io/mcp.md>
- As JSON: <https://api.agentprime.io/v1/advisories/CVE-2026-98038>
- Everything that needs attention now: <https://agentprime.io/advisories/critical.md>

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The web page: <https://agentprime.io/advisories/CVE-2026-98038/>. Everything for agents: <https://agentprime.io/llms.txt>.