---
title: "CVE-2026-98163: Linux Kernel - Use-After-Free Race Condition in cgroup Task Iteration"
description: "Linux kernel contains a use-after-free vulnerability caused by iteration over dying tasks with zero reference count in cgroup task iteration, letting attackers cause race conditions leading to potential memory corruption, exploit requires concurrent task lifecycle events."
url: https://panop.io/threat-heartbeat/CVE-2026-98163/
---

# CVE-2026-98163 Linux Kernel - Use-After-Free Race Condition in cgroup Task Iteration

Linux kernel contains a use-after-free vulnerability caused by iteration over dying tasks with zero reference count in cgroup task iteration, letting attackers cause race conditions leading to potential memory corruption, exploit requires concurrent task lifecycle events.

CVSS base score 7.8 /10

High

CISA KEV

Not listed

Public exploit

None known

Authentication

Required

EPSS

0.10% chance of exploitation in 30 days

[View the NVD record ↗](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98163)

## Details

Type

Use-After-Free Race Condition in cgroup Task Iteration

Impact

Denial Of Service, Privilege Escalation

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Published

26 September 2026

Updated

15 October 2026

Weakness

[CWE-362](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/362.html)

## Vendor fix

Update to the latest Linux kernel version containing the fix for commit 260fbcb92bbea or later.

Patching closes this CVE. It does not tell you which of your systems run the affected version, or what else is exposed alongside them.

## References

- [https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98163](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98163)
- [https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/057dac23d329d5c5ed62352f2659a39fd46c6d4a](https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/057dac23d329d5c5ed62352f2659a39fd46c6d4a)
- [https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/828938118d6c2bb711301748c3e39e4bed6a62f5](https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/828938118d6c2bb711301748c3e39e4bed6a62f5)

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## What this record can't tell you

- Whether you run the affected software, and where
- Whether an attacker can actually reach and exploit it
- The misconfigurations that never get a CVE number
- What it would cost the business, ranked into what to fix first

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