CVE-2026-98073
📛 CVE Title
net: Remove conflicting altnames for dying netns in __dev_change_net_namespace().
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: Remove conflicting altnames for dying netns in __dev_change_net_namespace(). syzbot reported the warning in cfg80211_pernet_exit(). [0] The repro does the following: 1. create two device in root netns and non-root netns 2. assign the same altname for the two devices 3. remove the non-root netns Since commit 7663d522099e ("net: check for altname conflicts when changing netdev's netns"), cfg80211_switch_netns() and cfg802154_switch_netns() fail if init_net has a device with the conflicting altname. default_device_exit_net() had the same issue and commit d09486a04f5d ("net: fix removing a namespace with conflicting altnames") fixed it. cfg80211_pernet_exit() and cfg802154_pernet_exit() need the same fix. Let's generalise the fix by removing conflicting altnames for dying netns in __dev_change_net_namespace(). [0]: cfg80211_switch_netns(rdev, &init_net) WARNING: net/wireless/core.c:1871 at cfg80211_pernet_exit+0xd5/0x120 net/wireless/core.c:1871, CPU#1: kworker/u8:9/1160 Modules linked in: CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 1160 Comm: kworker/u8:9 Not tainted syzkaller #0 PREEMPT(full) Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 07/24/2026 Workqueue: netns cleanup_net RIP: 0010:cfg80211_pernet_exit+0xd5/0x120 net/wireless/core.c:1871 Code: e8 03 42 80 3c 20 00 74 08 4c 89 f7 e8 b4 ef 0e f7 4d 8b 36 49 81 fe 20 10 4a 90 74 12 e8 03 3d 9f f6 eb 85 e8 fc 3c 9f f6 90 <0f> 0b 90 eb cc e8 f1 3c 9f f6 eb 05 e8 ea 3c 9f f6 5b 41 5c 41 5e RSP: 0018:ffffc900057a78f0 EFLAGS: 00010293 RAX: ffffffff8b287154 RBX: ffff88807ba72780 RCX: ffff8880213e8000 RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 00000000ffffffef RDI: 0000000000000000 RBP: 00000000ffffffef R08: ffffffff9024cc67 R09: 0000000000000000 R10: fffff52000af4eb0 R11: fffffbfff204998d R12: dffffc0000000000 R13: ffffffff904a1080 R14: ffff888144ed0008 R15: ffff888144ed0e20 FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff888124de6000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00005642de0a8a70 CR3: 000000007a40c000 CR4: 00000000003526f0 Call Trace: <TASK> ops_exit_list net/core/net_namespace.c:200 [inline] ops_undo_list+0x43d/0x8d0 net/core/net_namespace.c:253 cleanup_net+0x572/0x810 net/core/net_namespace.c:706 process_one_work kernel/workqueue.c:3387 [inline] process_scheduled_works+0xc3d/0x1630 kernel/workqueue.c:3470 worker_thread+0xa47/0xfb0 kernel/workqueue.c:3551 kthread+0x38b/0x480 kernel/kthread.c:436 ret_from_fork+0x514/0xb70 arch/x86/kernel/process.c:158 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:245 </TASK>
Overview
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Assigner (CNA)
- Linux
- CVSS severity
- HIGH
- CVSS score
- 7.8 / 10
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- Effective score
- 7.8 / 10 HIGH source: CNA overview
- CWE(s)
- —
- Reserved
- 2026-09-25
- Published
- 2026-09-25 10:24 UTC
- Last updated
- 2026-09-25 14:42 UTC
- Source
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/main/cves/2026/98xxx/CVE-2026-98073.json
- Linked Threat
- CVE-2026-98073 — net: Remove conflicting altnames for dying netns in __dev_change_net_namespace().
NVD triage scoring NVD CVE 2.0
Layer NVD adds on top of the CNA's CVE record — published / last-modified timestamps, exploitability / impact subscores, and the FIRST.org EPSS probability that this CVE will be exploited in the wild in the next 30 days.
- NVD published
- 2026-09-25 11:17:36 UTC
- NVD last modified
- 2026-09-25 15:18:05 UTC
- NVD CVSS v3.1
- 7.8 / 10 HIGH source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
- NVD CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- Exploitability subscore
- 1.8 / 10
- Impact subscore
- 5.9 / 10
NVD / KEV / EPSS data refreshed 2026-09-26 04:23 UTC. Re-run the 🛰 Backfill from NVD button above to refresh.
Affected products (2)
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux |
36fbf1e52bd3ff8a5cb604955eedfc9350c2e6cc (affected),
36fbf1e52bd3ff8a5cb604955eedfc9350c2e6cc (affected),
36fbf1e52bd3ff8a5cb604955eedfc9350c2e6cc (affected)
|
— |
| Linux | Linux |
5.5 (affected),
0 (unaffected),
6.18.53 (unaffected),
7.2.7 (unaffected),
7.3-rc2 (unaffected)
|
— |
Vendor references (3)
References embedded in the original CVE record by the assigning CNA.
Web references (0)
DuckDuckGo results ranked by threat-intel / vendor advisory domains. Generated by the 🔎 Find references (web) button above — same flow as the Remediations search.
No web references attached yet.
NVD-tagged references (3)
Reference list NVD curates from the CNA record, vendor advisories, and third-party reports. The tag chips below are NVD's analyst-assigned categories.
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a29ea5b5034654aaaa4aadd771f48c01abfd2dfa 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ac6631843269e6a9b2164e393b7f729328711d78 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/debac3a20dec524a59625cf10fa2f18571127824 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
AI Forensic Analysis
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Raw JSON
The full cvelistV5 record. Download as CVE-2026-98073.json.
{
"containers": {
"cna": {
"affected": [
{
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"product": "Linux",
"programFiles": [
"net/core/dev.c"
],
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"versions": [
{
"lessThan": "a29ea5b5034654aaaa4aadd771f48c01abfd2dfa",
"status": "affected",
"version": "36fbf1e52bd3ff8a5cb604955eedfc9350c2e6cc",
"versionType": "git"
},
{
"lessThan": "ac6631843269e6a9b2164e393b7f729328711d78",
"status": "affected",
"version": "36fbf1e52bd3ff8a5cb604955eedfc9350c2e6cc",
"versionType": "git"
},
{
"lessThan": "debac3a20dec524a59625cf10fa2f18571127824",
"status": "affected",
"version": "36fbf1e52bd3ff8a5cb604955eedfc9350c2e6cc",
"versionType": "git"
}
]
},
{
"defaultStatus": "affected",
"product": "Linux",
"programFiles": [
"net/core/dev.c"
],
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "5.5"
},
{
"lessThan": "5.5",
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "0",
"versionType": "semver"
},
{
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.18.*",
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.18.53",
"versionType": "semver"
},
{
"lessThanOrEqual": "7.2.*",
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "7.2.7",
"versionType": "semver"
},
{
"lessThanOrEqual": "*",
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "7.3-rc2",
"versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
}
]
}
],
"cpeApplicability": [
{
"nodes": [
{
"cpeMatch": [
{
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"versionEndExcluding": "6.18.53",
"versionStartIncluding": "5.5",
"vulnerable": true
},
{
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"versionEndExcluding": "7.2.7",
"versionStartIncluding": "5.5",
"vulnerable": true
},
{
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"versionEndExcluding": "7.3-rc2",
"versionStartIncluding": "5.5",
"vulnerable": true
}
],
"negate": false,
"operator": "OR"
}
]
}
],
"descriptions": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nnet: Remove conflicting altnames for dying netns in __dev_change_net_namespace().\n\nsyzbot reported the warning in cfg80211_pernet_exit(). [0]\n\nThe repro does the following:\n\n 1. create two device in root netns and non-root netns\n 2. assign the same altname for the two devices\n 3. remove the non-root netns\n\nSince commit 7663d522099e (\"net: check for altname conflicts\nwhen changing netdev's netns\"), cfg80211_switch_netns() and\ncfg802154_switch_netns() fail if init_net has a device with the\nconflicting altname.\n\ndefault_device_exit_net() had the same issue and commit d09486a04f5d\n(\"net: fix removing a namespace with conflicting altnames\") fixed it.\n\ncfg80211_pernet_exit() and cfg802154_pernet_exit() need the same fix.\n\nLet's generalise the fix by removing conflicting altnames for dying\nnetns in __dev_change_net_namespace().\n\n[0]:\ncfg80211_switch_netns(rdev, &init_net)\nWARNING: net/wireless/core.c:1871 at cfg80211_pernet_exit+0xd5/0x120 net/wireless/core.c:1871, CPU#1: kworker/u8:9/1160\nModules linked in:\nCPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 1160 Comm: kworker/u8:9 Not tainted syzkaller #0 PREEMPT(full)\nHardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 07/24/2026\nWorkqueue: netns cleanup_net\nRIP: 0010:cfg80211_pernet_exit+0xd5/0x120 net/wireless/core.c:1871\nCode: e8 03 42 80 3c 20 00 74 08 4c 89 f7 e8 b4 ef 0e f7 4d 8b 36 49 81 fe 20 10 4a 90 74 12 e8 03 3d 9f f6 eb 85 e8 fc 3c 9f f6 90 <0f> 0b 90 eb cc e8 f1 3c 9f f6 eb 05 e8 ea 3c 9f f6 5b 41 5c 41 5e\nRSP: 0018:ffffc900057a78f0 EFLAGS: 00010293\nRAX: ffffffff8b287154 RBX: ffff88807ba72780 RCX: ffff8880213e8000\nRDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 00000000ffffffef RDI: 0000000000000000\nRBP: 00000000ffffffef R08: ffffffff9024cc67 R09: 0000000000000000\nR10: fffff52000af4eb0 R11: fffffbfff204998d R12: dffffc0000000000\nR13: ffffffff904a1080 R14: ffff888144ed0008 R15: ffff888144ed0e20\nFS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff888124de6000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000\nCS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033\nCR2: 00005642de0a8a70 CR3: 000000007a40c000 CR4: 00000000003526f0\nCall Trace:\n <TASK>\n ops_exit_list net/core/net_namespace.c:200 [inline]\n ops_undo_list+0x43d/0x8d0 net/core/net_namespace.c:253\n cleanup_net+0x572/0x810 net/core/net_namespace.c:706\n process_one_work kernel/workqueue.c:3387 [inline]\n process_scheduled_works+0xc3d/0x1630 kernel/workqueue.c:3470\n worker_thread+0xa47/0xfb0 kernel/workqueue.c:3551\n kthread+0x38b/0x480 kernel/kthread.c:436\n ret_from_fork+0x514/0xb70 arch/x86/kernel/process.c:158\n ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:245\n </TASK>"
}
],
"metrics": [
{
"cvssV3_1": {
"baseScore": 7.8,
"baseSeverity": "HIGH",
"vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"version": "3.1"
},
"scenarios": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "AV:L - Triggered locally. A user sets an altname on a wlan netdev with RTM_NEWLINKPROP, then lets its netns die. cleanup_net runs cfg80211_pernet_exit -> cfg80211_switch_netns -> dev_change_net_namespace, and __dev_change_net_namespace returns -EEXIST on the altname conflict. No remote peer supplies any data.\nAC:L - Wait\nPR:L - Wait\nUI:N - Wait\nS:U - Wait\nC:H - Wait\nI:H - Wait\nA:H - Wait"
}
]
}
],
"providerMetadata": {
"dateUpdated": "2026-09-25T14:42:02.309Z",
"orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"shortName": "Linux"
},
"references": [
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a29ea5b5034654aaaa4aadd771f48c01abfd2dfa"
},
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ac6631843269e6a9b2164e393b7f729328711d78"
},
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/debac3a20dec524a59625cf10fa2f18571127824"
}
],
"title": "net: Remove conflicting altnames for dying netns in __dev_change_net_namespace().",
"x_generator": {
"engine": "bippy-1.2.0"
}
}
},
"cveMetadata": {
"assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"assignerShortName": "Linux",
"cveId": "CVE-2026-98073",
"datePublished": "2026-09-25T10:24:13.277Z",
"dateReserved": "2026-09-25T10:19:56.074Z",
"dateUpdated": "2026-09-25T14:42:02.309Z",
"state": "PUBLISHED"
},
"dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
"dataVersion": "5.2"
}