CVE Watchtower

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CVE-2026-98978NVD

Vulnerability Summary

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

namespace: never expire a locked mount

Locked mounts are special. They protect the underlying files and
directories from being revealed. do_umount() refuses to unmount locked
mounts but shrink_submounts() doesn't.

A shrinkable mount can become locked once the owner of a user namespace
puts it beneath a locked mount with MOVE_MOUNT_BENEATH. The locked
property now moves to the mount at the bottom making it possible to
unmount the top mount.

So umount() of an unlocked ancestor now expires the bottom mount first
and the covered directory is revealed:

move_mount(c -> x/hidden, MOVE_MOUNT_BENEATH) = 0
the cover after the lock moved: umount2(x/hidden) = 0
the holder of the lock: umount2(x/hidden) = EINVAL
the root of the copy, busy: umount2(x) = EBUSY
reads x/hidden/secret: "covered-by-root"

So leave a locked mount alone as it dies together with its parent. A
plain umount() of an unlocked mount with a locked one below it is EBUSY
from now on. It's the same for any other locked child. A lazy umount
still takes the whole tree.

mark_mounts_for_expiry() never sees a locked mount. lock_mnt_tree()
leaves a mount on an expiry list alone and nothing else puts a locked
one on such a list. Add an assert for this.
Severity Level
HIGH(8.4)
Published Date
Oct 23, 2026
Last Modified
Nov 10, 2026
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation yet
EPSS Score (30-Day)
0.17%Probability
Root Weakness (CWE)
N/A
CVSS v3.1 Base Metrics — Score 8.4 (HIGH)
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeChanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityNone

Affected & Patched Versions

Affected Versions
Not provided by NVD for this CVE.
Patched Versions
Not provided by NVD for this CVE.
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🎁7-Day Free Trial — Try Pro or Team, no card required.
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🚨All New CVEs — Be the first to know.
📈EPSS Spike Alerts — Catch rising risk before it peaks.
🎯Custom EPSS/CVSS — Filter noise, focus on risk.
🛡️Exploit Intel — A 2nd confirmed-exploit signal beyond KEV.
🐙GitHub Issues — Auto-tracked, no duplicates.
📬Weekly Digest — One clean summary, not inbox spam.
🏷️Watchlist Groups — Tag alerts by team (Infra/AppSec/SOC).
💬Webhooks — Slack & Teams integration.
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