CVE-2026-98558
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's networking subsystem. When a central processing unit (CPU) is taken offline, pending network packet buffers held in deferred processing queues are not properly flushed. A privileged local user or administrative action offlining a CPU during network device teardown can cause the kernel to stall indefinitely while waiting for memory pages to be returned, resulting in a Denial of Service (DoS).
Statement
Moderate impact has been assigned to this vulnerability because exploitation requires administrative privileges to take CPUs offline and depends on a narrow race condition during network interface teardown. In standard Red Hat Enterprise Linux deployments, dynamic CPU hot-unplugging is uncommon and restricted to privileged system administrators. Consequently, the flaw presents limited real-world exposure, though an affected system could experience a kernel hang and denial of service during device reconfiguration.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 4.1 | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | N/A |
| Privileges Required | High | N/A | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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