Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
namespace: check the mounts before reading their parents in pivot_root()
path_pivot_root() reads the parents of new_root and of the caller's root
and checks whether they are shared before it checks that either mount is
in the caller's mount namespace. Only namespace_sem is held. That's fine
for a mount that is in the caller's mount namespace.
But new_root can be a file descriptor to a mount that has been unmounted
and that only the file descriptor keeps alive. If that mount stayed
attached to its parent when it was unmounted nothing pins the parent for
it. The final mntput() of the parent unhooks the children under
mount_lock alone and frees the parent afterwards:
pivot_root() close(fd), last ref on the parent
------------ ---------------------------------
ex_parent = new_mnt->mnt_parent
mntput_no_expire_slowpath()
__umount_mnt(new_mnt)
cleanup_mnt()
call_rcu()
IS_MNT_SHARED(ex_parent)
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in path_pivot_root+0xf1a/0x1840
Read of size 4 at addr ffff8881047382f8 by task pivot_widen/157
path_pivot_root+0xf1a/0x1840
__x64_sys_pivot_root+0x165/0x190
The same goes for the caller's root via chroot(). Both outcomes of the
check end in EINVAL so nothing but the read itself goes wrong. It's the
same thing commit bb4609405752 ("statmount: read the parent of an
unmounted mount under mount_lock") fixed for statmount().
Check that both mounts are in the caller's namespace before their
parents are read. Every path returns EINVAL either way.
namespace: check the mounts before reading their parents in pivot_root()
path_pivot_root() reads the parents of new_root and of the caller's root
and checks whether they are shared before it checks that either mount is
in the caller's mount namespace. Only namespace_sem is held. That's fine
for a mount that is in the caller's mount namespace.
But new_root can be a file descriptor to a mount that has been unmounted
and that only the file descriptor keeps alive. If that mount stayed
attached to its parent when it was unmounted nothing pins the parent for
it. The final mntput() of the parent unhooks the children under
mount_lock alone and frees the parent afterwards:
pivot_root() close(fd), last ref on the parent
------------ ---------------------------------
ex_parent = new_mnt->mnt_parent
mntput_no_expire_slowpath()
__umount_mnt(new_mnt)
cleanup_mnt()
call_rcu()
IS_MNT_SHARED(ex_parent)
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in path_pivot_root+0xf1a/0x1840
Read of size 4 at addr ffff8881047382f8 by task pivot_widen/157
path_pivot_root+0xf1a/0x1840
__x64_sys_pivot_root+0x165/0x190
The same goes for the caller's root via chroot(). Both outcomes of the
check end in EINVAL so nothing but the read itself goes wrong. It's the
same thing commit bb4609405752 ("statmount: read the parent of an
unmounted mount under mount_lock") fixed for statmount().
Check that both mounts are in the caller's namespace before their
parents are read. Every path returns EINVAL either way.
Published:
2026-10-23
Score:
n/a
EPSS:
n/a
KEV:
No
Analysis
Analysis and contextual insights are available on OpenCVE Cloud.
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | unaffected |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Linux | Linux | affected |
|
No data.
No data.
No data available yet.
Remediation
No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record.
Additional remediation guidance may be available on OpenCVE Cloud.
Tracking
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Advisories
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References
History
Fri, 23 Oct 2026 12:45:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: namespace: check the mounts before reading their parents in pivot_root() path_pivot_root() reads the parents of new_root and of the caller's root and checks whether they are shared before it checks that either mount is in the caller's mount namespace. Only namespace_sem is held. That's fine for a mount that is in the caller's mount namespace. But new_root can be a file descriptor to a mount that has been unmounted and that only the file descriptor keeps alive. If that mount stayed attached to its parent when it was unmounted nothing pins the parent for it. The final mntput() of the parent unhooks the children under mount_lock alone and frees the parent afterwards: pivot_root() close(fd), last ref on the parent ------------ --------------------------------- ex_parent = new_mnt->mnt_parent mntput_no_expire_slowpath() __umount_mnt(new_mnt) cleanup_mnt() call_rcu() IS_MNT_SHARED(ex_parent) BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in path_pivot_root+0xf1a/0x1840 Read of size 4 at addr ffff8881047382f8 by task pivot_widen/157 path_pivot_root+0xf1a/0x1840 __x64_sys_pivot_root+0x165/0x190 The same goes for the caller's root via chroot(). Both outcomes of the check end in EINVAL so nothing but the read itself goes wrong. It's the same thing commit bb4609405752 ("statmount: read the parent of an unmounted mount under mount_lock") fixed for statmount(). Check that both mounts are in the caller's namespace before their parents are read. Every path returns EINVAL either way. | |
| Title | namespace: check the mounts before reading their parents in pivot_root() | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
|
MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-10-23T12:20:03.622Z
Reserved: 2026-09-25T10:25:14.384Z
Link: CVE-2026-98985
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Received
Published: 2026-10-23T13:17:20.420
Modified: 2026-10-23T13:17:20.420
Link: CVE-2026-98985
Redhat
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
No data.
Weaknesses
No weakness.