---
id: CVE-2026-98990
title: 'namespace: check a submount for references right before unmounting it'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  namespace: check a submount for references right before unmounting it

  shrink_submounts() and mark_mounts_for_expiry() first collect all the
  mounts they are allowed to …
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486 <
    f6394281834492c6516a405a348b545ae698a331
  - >-
    Linux >= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486 <
    6e4012e571867868b545c91ca9d6095fdb709907
  - >-
    Linux >= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486 <
    d73f04e92c1aab78d96ac6cadb234c8a3a373d22
  - >-
    Linux >= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486 <
    18902a23ef36f83d32bafc58ae2484e6bb4bb8ef
  - >-
    Linux >= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486 <
    32bf92416614a1e3ff3524fc6b780259c7aad3ef
  - Linux 5e6ef5ef6eaf690faad3a7c6c665ebf45d7b6ccf
  - Linux 839d42687dfce0ed0ea2c6bd8d707cc0e276fbe7
  - Linux 808e83e5add13152bd4a88346487de68395c136b
  - Linux 6de9d08a9718ee9c12ba6343c50141c2d633e3dc
  - Linux >= 4.1.40 < 4.2
  - Linux >= 4.4.54 < 4.5
  - Linux >= 4.9.15 < 4.10
  - Linux >= 4.10.3 < 4.11
  - Linux 4.11
published: '2026-10-23'
updated: '2026-10-23'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-23T12:20:09.349Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98990'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f6394281834492c6516a405a348b545ae698a331'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6e4012e571867868b545c91ca9d6095fdb709907'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d73f04e92c1aab78d96ac6cadb234c8a3a373d22'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/18902a23ef36f83d32bafc58ae2484e6bb4bb8ef'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/32bf92416614a1e3ff3524fc6b780259c7aad3ef'
tags:
  - cve.org
ingestedAt: '2026-10-23T13:24:55.545Z'
---

## Overview

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

namespace: check a submount for references right before unmounting it

shrink_submounts() and mark_mounts_for_expiry() first collect all the
mounts they are allowed to unmount and then unmount them.

Whether a mount is busy is decided by propagate_mount_busy() on the
tree. But unmounting the first mount changes the tree that the second
one propagates into. propagate_umount()
moves a surviving overmount off a copy it unmounts and mounts it where
the copy was mounted. If that's where the propagated copy of the second
victim is looked up the overmount becomes a candidate of the second
umount_tree(). It's childless and so trim_one() commits it without
looking at its reference count.

So a synchronous umount pulls out a busy mount that is in use somewhere
else and marks it MNT_SYNC_UMOUNT while it has users:

  umount2(/tmp/plshrink/p1, 0) = 0 errno 0
  cwd is (unreachable)

The same two umounts requested one after the other fail with EBUSY.
This needs a mount with MNT_SHRINKABLE, i.e., automounted submounts of
NFS, AFS and CIFS or the tracefs mount below debugfs. Bind mounts
inherit the flag.

Check each mount right before it is unmounted under the same hold of
namespace_sem and mount_lock as the umount itself. Make sure that the
algorithm stays linear.

## Affected

- `Linux >= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486 < f6394281834492c6516a405a348b545ae698a331`
- `Linux >= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486 < 6e4012e571867868b545c91ca9d6095fdb709907`
- `Linux >= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486 < d73f04e92c1aab78d96ac6cadb234c8a3a373d22`
- `Linux >= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486 < 18902a23ef36f83d32bafc58ae2484e6bb4bb8ef`
- `Linux >= 1064f874abc0d05eeed8993815f584d847b72486 < 32bf92416614a1e3ff3524fc6b780259c7aad3ef`
- `Linux 5e6ef5ef6eaf690faad3a7c6c665ebf45d7b6ccf`
- `Linux 839d42687dfce0ed0ea2c6bd8d707cc0e276fbe7`
- `Linux 808e83e5add13152bd4a88346487de68395c136b`
- `Linux 6de9d08a9718ee9c12ba6343c50141c2d633e3dc`
- `Linux >= 4.1.40 < 4.2`
- `Linux >= 4.4.54 < 4.5`
- `Linux >= 4.9.15 < 4.10`
- `Linux >= 4.10.3 < 4.11`
- `Linux 4.11`

## Remediation

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