{"id":"CVE-2026-98260","title":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nexec: Cleanup POSIX timers right after de_thread()\n\nA per-thread CPU timer holds a reference to the PID of the thread it is\nattached to and, while it is armed, its node…","summary":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nexec: Cleanup POSIX timers right after de_thread()\n\nA per-thread CPU timer holds a reference to the PID of the thread it is\nattached to and, while it is armed, its node…","severity":"none","vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","affected":["Linux >= 55e8c8eb2c7b6bf30e99423ccfe7ca032f498f59 < 6f1977cea3e85cd8ab55fb337d3e1725fe61d1ce","Linux >= 55e8c8eb2c7b6bf30e99423ccfe7ca032f498f59 < d9ae467e617ca29b825493a362bf0d75ad5f4ac3","Linux >= 55e8c8eb2c7b6bf30e99423ccfe7ca032f498f59 < 75aa08b93c65766040f9ca99f41ac85ad22596b6","Linux >= 55e8c8eb2c7b6bf30e99423ccfe7ca032f498f59 < d602877baf36c43c788a5f472c977e0be414029f","Linux >= 55e8c8eb2c7b6bf30e99423ccfe7ca032f498f59 < acb03d3881818581052924a9bbbe92b8741ed448","Linux 5.7"],"published":"2026-10-06","updated":"2026-10-06","sourceUpdated":"2026-10-06T09:18:15.040","source":"NVD","sourceUrl":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98260","references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6f1977cea3e85cd8ab55fb337d3e1725fe61d1ce","label":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/75aa08b93c65766040f9ca99f41ac85ad22596b6","label":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/acb03d3881818581052924a9bbbe92b8741ed448","label":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d602877baf36c43c788a5f472c977e0be414029f","label":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d9ae467e617ca29b825493a362bf0d75ad5f4ac3","label":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"}],"tags":["nvd","cve.org"],"ingestedAt":"2026-10-06T08:50:17.427Z","slug":"CVE-2026-98260","body":"## Overview\n\nIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nexec: Cleanup POSIX timers right after de_thread()\n\nA per-thread CPU timer holds a reference to the PID of the thread it is\nattached to and, while it is armed, its node is queued in that thread's\nposix_cputimers. The task is looked up by that PID.\n\nWhen a non-leader thread exec()s, de_thread() changes which task owns\nthat PID. pid_task(timer->it.cpu.pid, PIDTYPE_PID) then returns NULL,\nbut the node is still queued on tsk, which is alive. timer_lock_sighand()\ntakes a failed lookup to mean that the node is already dequeued, so it\nhas nothing to undo.\n\nbegin_new_exec() calls posix_cpu_timers_exit(me) right after\nexec_task_namespaces() and that removes the leftover node, so the state\nnormally stays invisible. But bprm->point_of_no_return is set before\nde_thread(), so if unshare_files(), set_mm_exe_file(), exec_mmap() or\nexec_task_namespaces() fails, the task dies before it gets there.\nexit_itimers() then frees the k_itimer while its node is still queued,\nand reaping tsk later erases that freed node from the rbtree.\n\nIn short:\n\n      the non-leader thread B           the parent\n\n  timer_create(CLOCK_THREAD_CPUTIME_ID)\n  timer_settime()\n    arm_timer()            // the node is queued on B\n  execve()\n    de_thread(B)\n      exchange_tids(B, leader)  // B's PID now belongs to the leader\n      release_task(leader)\n        __exit_signal(leader)\n          posix_cpu_timers_exit(leader)  // cleans leader's queue, not B's\n          __unhash_process(leader)  // that PID has no task anymore\n    exec_mmap()\n      mmap_read_lock_killable(old_mm)\n                                kill(B, SIGKILL)\n      // -EINTR\n  get_signal()\n    do_exit()\n      exit_itimers()\n        posix_timer_delete()\n          posix_cpu_timer_del()\n        posix_timer_unhash_and_free()  // freed while still queued\n                                wait4()\n                                  release_task(B)\n                                    posix_cpu_timers_exit(B)\n                                      cleanup_timerqueue()\n                                        timerqueue_del()  // use-after-free\n\nMove the POSIX timer cleanup right after de_thread() before any of the\nlater failure conditions brings the task into do_exit().\n\n[ tglx: Move the cleanup right after de_thread() ]\n\n## Remediation\n\nRefer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.","depth":"sunlit","depthScore":3,"depthScoreParts":{"impact":2.8,"likelihood":0,"exploitation":0,"ransomware":0},"changes":[]}