Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

namespace: remove the fsnotify marks of a mount namespace in process context

mnt_ns_release() drops the last passive reference of a mount namespace
and removes its fanotify marks via fsnotify_mntns_delete(). That takes
the mutex of every group with a mark on the namespace and the spinlock
of the connector. Fine from process context. But mnt_ns_tree_remove()
hands the reference the namespace was allocated with to call_rcu() and
so the marks are removed from the RCU softirq:

BUG: sleeping function called from invalid context at kernel/locking/mutex.c:623
in_atomic(): 1, irqs_disabled(): 0, non_block: 0, pid: 0, name: swapper/3
__mutex_lock+0x113/0x24b0
fsnotify_destroy_marks+0x11b/0x3d0
mnt_ns_release_rcu+0x57/0xa0
rcu_core+0x6b6/0x1e40

and lockdep complains about the connector lock being taken from softirq
context. A fanotify group with a FAN_MARK_MNTNS mark on the mount
namespace of another task is all that's needed. Root in a user
namespace can do that for a mount namespace it owns. The task exits and
the namespace is freed with the mark still on it.

Remove the marks in free_mnt_ns() before the namespace is handed to RCU.
That runs in process context once the last active reference is gone. A
mark is added through a file descriptor to the namespace which holds an
active reference so no mark can show up after that.
Published: 2026-10-23
Score: n/a
EPSS: n/a
KEV: No
Impact: n/a
Action: n/a
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History

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 12:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: namespace: remove the fsnotify marks of a mount namespace in process context mnt_ns_release() drops the last passive reference of a mount namespace and removes its fanotify marks via fsnotify_mntns_delete(). That takes the mutex of every group with a mark on the namespace and the spinlock of the connector. Fine from process context. But mnt_ns_tree_remove() hands the reference the namespace was allocated with to call_rcu() and so the marks are removed from the RCU softirq: BUG: sleeping function called from invalid context at kernel/locking/mutex.c:623 in_atomic(): 1, irqs_disabled(): 0, non_block: 0, pid: 0, name: swapper/3 __mutex_lock+0x113/0x24b0 fsnotify_destroy_marks+0x11b/0x3d0 mnt_ns_release_rcu+0x57/0xa0 rcu_core+0x6b6/0x1e40 and lockdep complains about the connector lock being taken from softirq context. A fanotify group with a FAN_MARK_MNTNS mark on the mount namespace of another task is all that's needed. Root in a user namespace can do that for a mount namespace it owns. The task exits and the namespace is freed with the mark still on it. Remove the marks in free_mnt_ns() before the namespace is handed to RCU. That runs in process context once the last active reference is gone. A mark is added through a file descriptor to the namespace which holds an active reference so no mark can show up after that.
Title namespace: remove the fsnotify marks of a mount namespace in process context
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
References

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Linux Linux Kernel
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: Linux

Published:

Updated: 2026-10-23T12:20:04.966Z

Reserved: 2026-09-25T10:25:14.384Z

Link: CVE-2026-98986

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-10-23T13:17:20.540

Modified: 2026-10-23T13:17:20.540

Link: CVE-2026-98986

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

No data.

Weaknesses

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