---
id: CVE-2026-98543
title: 'bpf: fs/xattr: don''t assume the inode is locked in path_unlink/path_rmdir'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  bpf: fs/xattr: don't assume the inode is locked in path_unlink/path_rmdir

  bpf_lsm_has_d_inode_locked() makes the verifier rewrite
  bpf_[set|remove]_dentry_xattr() to th…
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 56467292794b800164df20c076c409ac548e56ec <
    7504b677c4370c9e4b153c553ff8831c093b1ff6
  - >-
    Linux >= 56467292794b800164df20c076c409ac548e56ec <
    640d37fbd34d03af727dbc567f48c0203d1de6b4
  - >-
    Linux >= 56467292794b800164df20c076c409ac548e56ec <
    35d442ed1f86465e49df3119fb898f985186db13
  - Linux 6.15
published: '2026-10-18'
updated: '2026-10-18'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-18T15:18:10.823Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98543'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7504b677c4370c9e4b153c553ff8831c093b1ff6'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/640d37fbd34d03af727dbc567f48c0203d1de6b4'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/35d442ed1f86465e49df3119fb898f985186db13'
tags:
  - cve.org
ingestedAt: '2026-10-18T15:45:12.266Z'
---

## Overview

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

bpf: fs/xattr: don't assume the inode is locked in path_unlink/path_rmdir

bpf_lsm_has_d_inode_locked() makes the verifier rewrite
bpf_[set|remove]_dentry_xattr() to the _locked variants, which assume
that the caller already holds the inode's i_rwsem.  The path_unlink and
path_rmdir hooks are listed, but security_path_unlink() and
security_path_rmdir() run before vfs_unlink()/vfs_rmdir() take the
victim inode's i_rwsem, so a sleepable BPF LSM program attached to
either hook mutates the victim's xattrs without the lock held.

Drop the two path hooks from d_inode_locked_hooks so that the verifier
keeps the locking bpf_[set|remove]_dentry_xattr() variants, which take
the lock themselves.

## Affected

- `Linux >= 56467292794b800164df20c076c409ac548e56ec < 7504b677c4370c9e4b153c553ff8831c093b1ff6`
- `Linux >= 56467292794b800164df20c076c409ac548e56ec < 640d37fbd34d03af727dbc567f48c0203d1de6b4`
- `Linux >= 56467292794b800164df20c076c409ac548e56ec < 35d442ed1f86465e49df3119fb898f985186db13`
- `Linux 6.15`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.