bpf: don't downgrade half-dead scalar zero spills to STACK_ZERO (CVE-2026-98132) | HOL Guard CVE

Unknown severity · Source severity not reportedCVE-2026-98132

bpf: don't downgrade half-dead scalar zero spills to STACK_ZERO

Answer in brief

CVE-2026-98132 records a Unknown severity vulnerability in bpf: don't downgrade half-dead scalar zero spills to STACK_ZERO. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Analysis pending evidence review

HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.

Published Sep 25, 2026Updated Sep 25, 2026Source checked Sep 25, 2026First seen by HOL Sep 25, 2026Material review Sep 25, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: Unknown severitySource severity not reported
Exploitation: Not marked as known exploited
Affected software: 2 mapped packages or products
Fix availability: Available

Why this deserves its current priority

A CVSS score is not reported in the current record. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.

Analysis status

Analysis pending evidence review

Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.

Affected scope and exposure questions

The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
Linux/Linuxgeneric	>=be23266b4a08540aa43d8503a2ea10247c8daebe <436fa689630b741a77ef8c4a6f426479affd5bac \|\| >=be23266b4a08540aa43d8503a2ea10247c8daebe <2f3536bff8823d3c5fdbbe15e17bfca696cc2b2e	436fa689630b741a77ef8c4a6f426479affd5bac, 2f3536bff8823d3c5fdbbe15e17bfca696cc2b2e
Linux/Linuxgeneric	7.1	Not reported

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for Linux/Linux, Linux/Linux.
Review the reported fix. Update Linux/Linux to 436fa689630b741a77ef8c4a6f426479affd5bac if you use the affected versions. Test the change in a non-production environment first.

Evidence timeline and material changes

Published upstream
Sep 25, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
Source modified
Sep 25, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
First seen by HOL
Sep 25, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: don't downgrade half-dead scalar zero spills to STACK_ZERO states.c:__clean_func_state() can downgrade scalar zero spill to STACK_ZERO in the following case: *(u64 *)(r10 - 8) = 0; ... checkpoint ... r1 = *(u32 *)(r10 - 4); ... no reads from r10-8 ... Here 4 bytes at r10-8 are dead and verifier changes scalar spill to a combination: 0000pppp (p stands for poison). Such a change breaks precision propagation chains. All places that produce STACK_ZERO should call bpf_mark_chain_precision() for the zero source. This patch fixes the bug in a simplest way possible: avoids converting stack spills of zero to STACK_ZERO. Two smarter approaches are possible: - do bpf_mark_chain_precision() from __clean_func_state() - check slot liveness information in check_stack_write_fixed_off() I investigated both and the changes required are a bit tricky, hence go with a simple fix for the time being.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.