Vulnerability · CVE-2026-98530
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: kprobes: Fix permanent hang when flushing the kprobe optimizer Writing 0 to /proc/sys/debug/kprobes…
Published Oct 18, 2026 · catalog updated Oct 18, 2026 · the affected product
Open the advisory
Exploitation likelihood is not on this record for CVE-2026-98530. A missing EPSS score is not a low risk. Compare the affected product with the linked advisory before you change production.
Gaps on this record
- No plain product name is stored. The page cannot tell you which product to check.
- No version range is stored. A customer cannot check an installed version against this record.
- No vendor fix or required action is stored. Compare the linked advisory before you change production.
- EPSS is missing. A missing score is not a low risk.
- Severity
- Unknown—
- Known exploitation
- Not in CISA/VulnCheck KEV
- EPSS
- Awaiting synchronization with FIRST
- Remediation
- Not established
- Affected products
- See sources for product scope
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: kprobes: Fix permanent hang when flushing the kprobe optimizer Writing 0 to /proc/sys/debug/kprobes-optimization while a kprobe is jump-optimized never returns. The writer sleeps in D state forever with kprobe_sysctl_mutex held, so any later read or write of that sysctl hangs as well. For example, with vfs_read+9 as an optimizable address in this build: # cd /sys/kernel/tracing # echo 'p:myprobe vfs_read+9' >> kprobe_events # echo 1 > events/kprobes/myprobe/enable # # wait until /sys/kernel/debug/kprobes/list shows [OPTIMIZED] # echo 0 > /proc/sys/debug/kprobes-optimization INFO: task sh:246 blocked for more than 10 seconds. Call Trace: __schedule+0x1176/0x4f70 schedule+0xdc/0x2c0 schedule_timeout+0x17b/0x260 wait_for_completion+0x173/0x3c0 wait_for_kprobe_optimizer_locked+0xbc/0x130 proc_kprobes_optimization_handler+0x156/0x1b0 proc_sys_call_handler+0x324/0x490 vfs_write+0x52d/0xfe0 ksys_write+0xff/0x200 do_syscall_64+0x106/0x630 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f ... INFO: task cat:265 is blocked on a mutex likely owned by task sh:246. wait_for_kprobe_optimizer_locked() reinitializes optimizer_completion, asks the optimizer thread to flush and sleeps in wait_for_completion(). The thread drains the (un)optimizing lists, but calls complete() only if completion_done() is true, i.e. if the completion is already done, which never happens while someone waits. disarm_all_kprobes() and kprobe_trace_self_tests_init() wait the same way. Calling complete() unconditionally would not be enough: the waiter drops kprobe_mutex while it sleeps, and nothing else serializes the sysctl handler against the debugfs "enabled" file. A second flusher that still finds the lists non-empty, e.g. because a disabled probe is queued for unoptimizing, reinitializes the completion under the first: sysctl write debugfs "enabled" write unoptimize_all_kprobes() wait_for_kprobe_optimizer_locked() init_completion(c) mutex_unlock
No affected version ranges are stored yet. Use the vendor advisory before you decide this record does not apply.
How to fix CVE-2026-98530
Recommended remediation
No required-action text, fix commit, or clear fixed-version range is stored yet.
Official advisories
What to do
Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.
Should you patch?
Exploitation likelihood is not on this record for CVE-2026-98530. A missing EPSS score is not a low risk. Compare the affected product with the linked advisory before you change production.
Which versions are affected?
Affected version ranges are not on this record. Compare the installed version with the linked vendor advisory before you change production.
What should an analyst verify?
No weakness class is stored. EPSS is not on this record yet. There is no CISA KEV listing. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.
Code
The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.
Timeline
Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.
Oct 18, 2026 · NIST NVD
Detected
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: kprobes: Fix permanent hang when flushing the kprobe optimizer Writing 0 to /proc/sys/debug/kprobes-optimization while a kprobe is jump-optimized never returns. The writer sleeps in D state forever with kprobe_sysctl_mutex held, so any later read or write of that sysctl hangs as well. For example, with vfs_read+9 as an optimizable
Sources
- NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2026-98530
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: kprobes: Fix permanent hang when flushing the kprobe optimizer Writing 0 to /proc/sys/debug/kprobes-optimization while a kprobe is jump-optimized never returns. The writer sleeps in D state forever with kprobe_
nvd.nist.gov
References
Freshness
Last verified in this catalog Oct 18, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.