---
id: CVE-2026-98551
title: >-
  kernel: perf/core: Fill branch entries with a single assignment
  (CVE-2026-98551)
summary: >-
  A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Performance Events (perf) subsystem on
  ARM64 architectures. This flaw allows a local user to cause an information
  disclosure of sensitive kernel memory. The issue occurs because certain branch
  trackin…
severity: low
cvss: 3.3
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N'
cvssSource: vendor
cwe: CWE-908
vendor: Red Hat
product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
affected:
  - enterprise_linux 10
  - enterprise_linux 9
  - openshift_container_platform 4
published: '2026-10-18'
updated: '2026-10-20'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-20T00:36:12+00:00'
source: CSAF
sourceUrl: 'https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98551.json'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98551.json
  - url: 'https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-98551'
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2554978'
  - url: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98551'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98551'
  - url: >-
      https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-98551.mbox
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c7de8521947a521b766979ff5c09f66fe905a5bd'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/24b620729e53d978b3e425f55bc66efd3bab1f59'
tags:
  - csaf
  - vex
  - red-hat
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00189
epssPercentile: 0.08471
ingestedAt: '2026-10-18T15:45:12.265Z'
---

## Overview

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Performance Events (perf) subsystem on ARM64 architectures. This flaw allows a local user to cause an information disclosure of sensitive kernel memory. The issue occurs because certain branch tracking data structures are not properly cleared, allowing an attacker reading branch records to access uninitialized kernel memory.

## Vendor advisories

- **Red Hat VEX** · Low · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · no fix planned: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · updated 2026-10-20 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98551.json)

**kernel: perf/core: Fill branch entries with a single assignment** — rated Low by Red Hat. Released 2026-10-18, updated 2026-10-20.

Affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

No fix planned:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

Not affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

## Remediation

Fix deferred