{
    "dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
    "dataVersion": "5.2",
    "cveMetadata": {
        "cveId": "CVE-2026-98538",
        "assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "state": "PUBLISHED",
        "assignerShortName": "Linux",
        "dateReserved": "2026-09-25T10:25:14.356Z",
        "datePublished": "2026-10-18T15:18:05.901Z",
        "dateUpdated": "2026-10-19T09:21:21.678Z"
    },
    "containers": {
        "cna": {
            "providerMetadata": {
                "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
                "shortName": "Linux",
                "dateUpdated": "2026-10-19T09:21:21.678Z"
            },
            "descriptions": [
                {
                    "lang": "en",
                    "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nwriteback: bound cleanup_offline_cgwb() rescans by rotating scanned inodes\n\ncleanup_offline_cgwb() prepares at most WB_MAX_INODES_PER_ISW inodes\nper call and is called again until the dying wb is drained, but every\ncall walks wb->b_attached and then wb->b_dirty_time from the same end.\nInodes already prepared (they stay on the list with I_WB_SWITCH set\nuntil the switch worker runs) and inodes that cannot be switched\n(I_FREEING, I_WILL_FREE, !SB_ACTIVE, DAX, already on the target wb)\nstay where they are, so each pass rescans a growing run of them under\nwb->list_lock and a full drain is quadratic in the number of inodes on\nthe list. With ~17M inodes attached to one dying cgwb we saw this end\nin soft lockups, with CPUs reported stuck for 21-48s.\n\nWalk both lists from the oldest end and move every scanned inode to\nthe newest end, so the next pass starts where the previous one stopped\nand the drain becomes linear. b_attached is unordered, so nobody sees\nthe reorder there. b_dirty_time is ordered by dirtied_when, but the\noldest unscanned inode stays at the end move_expired_inodes() picks\nfrom, sync takes the whole list regardless of order, and prepared\ninodes leave the list as soon as the switch work runs and get a new\ndirtied_time_when on the new wb anyway, so the only inodes left out of\norder are the ones that can never switch (DAX), and only on the dying\nwb."
                }
            ],
            "affected": [
                {
                    "product": "Linux",
                    "vendor": "Linux",
                    "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
                    "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
                    "programFiles": [
                        "fs/fs-writeback.c"
                    ],
                    "versions": [
                        {
                            "version": "c22d70a162d3cc177282c4487be4d54876ca55c8",
                            "lessThan": "2d1da58c79b66646721a644c6eb4dd1f9c5c9327",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "c22d70a162d3cc177282c4487be4d54876ca55c8",
                            "lessThan": "c96b4d1628868e1195da1a896f79e06f350a3187",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "c22d70a162d3cc177282c4487be4d54876ca55c8",
                            "lessThan": "624dd0931162523d70f9db8c120b5ec6429a9b97",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "c22d70a162d3cc177282c4487be4d54876ca55c8",
                            "lessThan": "dd4b92067238771b604b59fdda8efed6d70ee823",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "c22d70a162d3cc177282c4487be4d54876ca55c8",
                            "lessThan": "9dac137bf77e0683778fb34c86e730c6129e8cb6",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "c22d70a162d3cc177282c4487be4d54876ca55c8",
                            "lessThan": "f6988c90671e83db79df1b7b9d6fdb0e5947fd84",
                            "status": "affected",
                            "versionType": "git"
                        }
                    ]
                },
                {
                    "product": "Linux",
                    "vendor": "Linux",
                    "defaultStatus": "affected",
                    "repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
                    "programFiles": [
                        "fs/fs-writeback.c"
                    ],
                    "versions": [
                        {
                            "version": "5.14",
                            "status": "affected"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "0",
                            "lessThan": "5.14",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "6.1.189",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "6.1.*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "6.6.158",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "6.6.*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "6.12.112",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "6.12.*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "6.18.55",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "6.18.*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "7.2.9",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "7.2.*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "semver"
                        },
                        {
                            "version": "7.3",
                            "lessThanOrEqual": "*",
                            "status": "unaffected",
                            "versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ],
            "cpeApplicability": [
                {
                    "nodes": [
                        {
                            "operator": "OR",
                            "negate": false,
                            "cpeMatch": [
                                {
                                    "vulnerable": true,
                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "5.14",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "6.1.189"
                                },
                                {
                                    "vulnerable": true,
                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "5.14",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "6.6.158"
                                },
                                {
                                    "vulnerable": true,
                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "5.14",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "6.12.112"
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                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "5.14",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "6.18.55"
                                },
                                {
                                    "vulnerable": true,
                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "5.14",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "7.2.9"
                                },
                                {
                                    "vulnerable": true,
                                    "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                                    "versionStartIncluding": "5.14",
                                    "versionEndExcluding": "7.3"
                                }
                            ]
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                }
            ],
            "references": [
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2d1da58c79b66646721a644c6eb4dd1f9c5c9327"
                },
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c96b4d1628868e1195da1a896f79e06f350a3187"
                },
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/624dd0931162523d70f9db8c120b5ec6429a9b97"
                },
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dd4b92067238771b604b59fdda8efed6d70ee823"
                },
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9dac137bf77e0683778fb34c86e730c6129e8cb6"
                },
                {
                    "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f6988c90671e83db79df1b7b9d6fdb0e5947fd84"
                }
            ],
            "title": "writeback: bound cleanup_offline_cgwb() rescans by rotating scanned inodes",
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}