Skip to content
Critical Linux Kernel TCP Flaw CVE-2026-98432 Affects Major Distributions

Critical Linux Kernel TCP Flaw CVE-2026-98432 Affects Major Distributions

First seen 29 Oct 2026, 18:44 UTC • •
API

Article Content

Browse articles
ThreatCluster AI
ThreatCluster •October 29, 2026 at 20:16 UTC
  • •CVE-2026-98432 rated 9.8 CVSS, critical vulnerability in Linux kernel's TCP code.
  • •Ubuntu and Red Hat Enterprise Linux have not yet released patches for the flaw.
  • •Exploitation in the wild has not been confirmed, but users are urged to prepare for updates.

CVE-2026-98432 is a critical vulnerability in the Linux kernel's TCP handshake code, rated 9.8 on the CVSS scale. It allows a remote attacker to exploit a race condition, potentially leading to an use-after-free situation that can crash systems or corrupt memory. As of October 29, 2026, Ubuntu and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) have not released patches, while Debian, Oracle Linux, SUSE, and Amazon Linux have issued fixes for some of their kernels. The flaw affects multiple distributions, but exploitation in the wild has not been reported. The vulnerability was disclosed on October 15, 2026, and the kernel CVE team has not observed. Red Hat and Ubuntu have deferred fixes, leaving users vulnerable until updates are released. The flaw primarily affects IPv4 connections, while IPv6 is not impacted.

Start a free Starter trial for enhanced analysis

Ask AI about this cluster

Updated just now How this analysis works

Timeline

2026-10-15
CVE-2026-98432 published
The Linux kernel CVE team disclosed a critical race condition vulnerability affecting TCP connections.
Rescana
2026-10-24
CVE scored 9.8 CVSS
The kernel CVE team assigned a critical score of 9.8 to the vulnerability, highlighting its severity.
Thehackernews
2026-10-29
No patches released by Ubuntu or RHEL
As of this date, both Ubuntu and RHEL have deferred fixes for the critical vulnerability.
Rescana

More articles in this cluster (6)

Following this threat?

Track CVE-2026-98432 in your own feed — you're alerted when they show up in new reporting, leak sites or exploitation.

Free account · no card needed

Extracted Entities (8)

1 / 4

Common questions

Which Linux distributions are affected?
The vulnerability affects Ubuntu, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and other distributions, but not all have released patches.
Is there any active exploitation reported?
No, as of now, there have been no confirmed reports of exploitation in the wild.
What should I do if I'm using Ubuntu or RHEL?
Monitor for updates from your distribution and prepare to apply patches as soon as they are released.