{"id":"CVE-2026-98491","title":"kernel: net: openvswitch: conntrack: avoid modifying shared unconfirmed ct entry (CVE-2026-98491)","summary":"A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Open vSwitch subsystem. When cloned network packet buffers share an unconfirmed connection tracking entry, committing the entry with conflicting extensions can trigger a use-after-free memory issue du…","severity":"medium","cvss":5.9,"cvssVector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H","cvssSource":"vendor","cwe":"CWE-825","vendor":"Red Hat","product":"Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9","affected":["enterprise_linux 10","enterprise_linux 7","enterprise_linux 8","enterprise_linux 9","openshift_container_platform 4"],"published":"2026-10-18","updated":"2026-10-24","sourceUpdated":"2026-10-24T14:27:52+00:00","source":"CSAF","sourceUrl":"https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98491.json","references":[{"url":"https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98491.json"},{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-98491"},{"url":"https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2554833"},{"url":"https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98491"},{"url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98491"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-98491.mbox"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e0fa5ea434b7e8467ef3adc64e3858b1ca2a642d"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/37e3c878b183a115f9a114067f9ef3b408ad27fb"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/707c2dc77891a874f4e8c52c285a511079164ec8"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/de41ee24f77b0fc45397db3e277cae2adbd43dfe"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/55e5256adf3940e71802e2f749cacf81518726b0"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e2829ae5459ddb5fce526b2e84697edf6c0c3cef"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/457e0df1b5711fbeb7ba1b6bfd826f5ef30e7e55"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/26b2bd70d22457556e2fa01cbf1192cb1a94d619"}],"tags":["csaf","vex","red-hat","cve.org"],"epss":0.00169,"epssPercentile":0.06261,"scores":{"vendor":5.9,"cna":7.8},"ingestedAt":"2026-10-18T15:45:12.293Z","slug":"CVE-2026-98491","body":"## Overview\n\nA flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Open vSwitch subsystem. When cloned network packet buffers share an unconfirmed connection tracking entry, committing the entry with conflicting extensions can trigger a use-after-free memory issue during cleanup. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to cause memory corruption, leading to a system crash and Denial of Service (DoS), or potentially execute arbitrary code.\n\n## Vendor advisories\n\n- **Red Hat VEX** · Moderate · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · no fix planned: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, … · updated 2026-10-24 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98491.json)\n\n**kernel: net: openvswitch: conntrack: avoid modifying shared unconfirmed ct entry** — rated Moderate by Red Hat. Released 2026-10-18, updated 2026-10-24.\n\nAffected:\n\n- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10\n- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7\n- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8\n- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9\n- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4\n\nNo fix planned:\n\n- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10\n- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7\n- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8\n- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9\n- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4\n\nNot affected:\n\n- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6\n\n## Remediation\n\nFix deferred","depth":"sunlit","depthScore":32,"depthScoreParts":{"impact":32.5,"likelihood":0,"exploitation":0,"ransomware":0},"changes":[{"seq":229506,"id":"CVE-2026-98491","ts":1793019824812,"field":"cvss","old":"7.8","new":"5.9"},{"seq":229505,"id":"CVE-2026-98491","ts":1793019824812,"field":"severity","old":"high","new":"medium"},{"seq":228956,"id":"CVE-2026-98491","ts":1792854120444,"field":"cvss","old":null,"new":"7.8"},{"seq":228955,"id":"CVE-2026-98491","ts":1792854120444,"field":"severity","old":"none","new":"high"}]}