---
id: CVE-2026-98642
title: >-
  kernel: kernel: Denial of Service via race condition in BPF memory allocator
  (CVE-2026-98642)
summary: >-
  A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Berkeley Packet Filter (BPF) memory
  allocator. A race condition occurs when bulk memory allocation and memory
  cleanup run concurrently without adequate synchronization. A local attacker
  could exploit …
severity: medium
cvss: 4.7
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'
cvssSource: vendor
cwe: CWE-416
vendor: Red Hat
product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
affected:
  - enterprise_linux 10
published: '2026-10-18'
updated: '2026-10-21'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-21T02:11:42+00:00'
source: CSAF
sourceUrl: 'https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98642.json'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98642.json
  - url: 'https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-98642'
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2555007'
  - url: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98642'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98642'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1c21452d02eec2f008e2c5535820f85adbd7587a'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1d6581b544a88cf4348c2fb60dcb50ad63f012da'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a0e150a118025a05c8662c536ba2a865da86419c'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f101602415fb39a58941bec444df65634d5a6844'
  - url: 'https://kernelcve.org/list/?q=CVE-2026-98642'
tags:
  - csaf
  - vex
  - red-hat
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00168
epssPercentile: 0.06015
ingestedAt: '2026-10-18T15:45:12.229Z'
---

## Overview

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Berkeley Packet Filter (BPF) memory allocator. A race condition occurs when bulk memory allocation and memory cleanup run concurrently without adequate synchronization. A local attacker could exploit this flaw to trigger a use-after-free condition, leading to a Denial of Service (DoS) via a system crash or potential privilege escalation.

## Vendor advisories

- **Red Hat VEX** · Moderate · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 · no fix planned: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 · updated 2026-10-21 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-98642.json)

**kernel: kernel: Denial of Service via race condition in BPF memory allocator** — rated Moderate by Red Hat. Released 2026-10-18, updated 2026-10-21.

Affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10

No fix planned:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10

## Remediation

Fix deferred

Workarounds / mitigations:

- Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options don't meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base or stability.