Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
namespace: check a recursive bind mount for mount namespace loops
do_loopback() refuses to bind mount the file of a mount namespace that
is as old as the caller's or older because a mount namespace that holds
a mount of its own file, or of an ancestor's, would cause a cycle. But
it only checks the dentry the bind mount starts from. With MS_REC
everything below it is copied and do_loopback() passes
CL_COPY_MNT_NS_FILE so mount namespace files below the source are
copied.
That's fine for a source in the caller's own mount namespace. Every
mount namespace file in there passed the same check when it was
bind-mounted. It isn't fine for a source in another mount namespace.
may_copy_tree() accepts a bind mount of any nsfs or pidfs file no matter
what mount namespace it lives in so that /proc/<pid>/ns/<ns> and pidfds
can be bind mounted. If we create a bind-mount stack of mount namespaces
file descriptors the kernel will copy them irrespective of their
ancestoral relationship to the mount namespace in question:
151 146 0:7 net:[4026531833] /tmp/nrc/y rw - nsfs nsfs rw
152 151 0:7 mnt:[4026532293] /tmp/nrc/y rw - nsfs nsfs rw
Mount 152 is a mount of the mount namespace file of mount namespace
4026532293 inside mount namespace 4026532293. That namespace and every
mount in it are leaked... All it takes is a process in an older mount
namespace that stacks the file and repeating it leaks without limit:
after control: Shmem: 380 kB
child: mount(/proc/self/fd/6, MS_BIND|MS_REC): ok
after cycle: Shmem: 65916 kB
do_move_mount() runs check_for_nsfs_mounts() over a detached tree for
exactly that reason. Do the same for the copy before it is grafted.
namespace: check a recursive bind mount for mount namespace loops
do_loopback() refuses to bind mount the file of a mount namespace that
is as old as the caller's or older because a mount namespace that holds
a mount of its own file, or of an ancestor's, would cause a cycle. But
it only checks the dentry the bind mount starts from. With MS_REC
everything below it is copied and do_loopback() passes
CL_COPY_MNT_NS_FILE so mount namespace files below the source are
copied.
That's fine for a source in the caller's own mount namespace. Every
mount namespace file in there passed the same check when it was
bind-mounted. It isn't fine for a source in another mount namespace.
may_copy_tree() accepts a bind mount of any nsfs or pidfs file no matter
what mount namespace it lives in so that /proc/<pid>/ns/<ns> and pidfds
can be bind mounted. If we create a bind-mount stack of mount namespaces
file descriptors the kernel will copy them irrespective of their
ancestoral relationship to the mount namespace in question:
151 146 0:7 net:[4026531833] /tmp/nrc/y rw - nsfs nsfs rw
152 151 0:7 mnt:[4026532293] /tmp/nrc/y rw - nsfs nsfs rw
Mount 152 is a mount of the mount namespace file of mount namespace
4026532293 inside mount namespace 4026532293. That namespace and every
mount in it are leaked... All it takes is a process in an older mount
namespace that stacks the file and repeating it leaks without limit:
after control: Shmem: 380 kB
child: mount(/proc/self/fd/6, MS_BIND|MS_REC): ok
after cycle: Shmem: 65916 kB
do_move_mount() runs check_for_nsfs_mounts() over a detached tree for
exactly that reason. Do the same for the copy before it is grafted.
Published:
2026-10-23
Score:
n/a
EPSS:
n/a
KEV:
No
Impact:
n/a
Action:
n/a
Analysis
No analysis available yet.
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | unaffected |
|
||||||||||||||||||
| Linux | Linux | affected |
|
No data.
No data.
No data available yet.
Remediation
No remediation available yet.
Tracking
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Advisories
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References
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: check a recursive bind mount for mount namespace loops do_loopback() refuses to bind mount the file of a mount namespace that is as old as the caller's or older because a mount namespace that holds a mount of its own file, or of an ancestor's, would cause a cycle. But it only checks the dentry the bind mount starts from. With MS_REC everything below it is copied and do_loopback() passes CL_COPY_MNT_NS_FILE so mount namespace files below the source are copied. That's fine for a source in the caller's own mount namespace. Every mount namespace file in there passed the same check when it was bind-mounted. It isn't fine for a source in another mount namespace. may_copy_tree() accepts a bind mount of any nsfs or pidfs file no matter what mount namespace it lives in so that /proc/<pid>/ns/<ns> and pidfds can be bind mounted. If we create a bind-mount stack of mount namespaces file descriptors the kernel will copy them irrespective of their ancestoral relationship to the mount namespace in question: 151 146 0:7 net:[4026531833] /tmp/nrc/y rw - nsfs nsfs rw 152 151 0:7 mnt:[4026532293] /tmp/nrc/y rw - nsfs nsfs rw Mount 152 is a mount of the mount namespace file of mount namespace 4026532293 inside mount namespace 4026532293. That namespace and every mount in it are leaked... All it takes is a process in an older mount namespace that stacks the file and repeating it leaks without limit: after control: Shmem: 380 kB child: mount(/proc/self/fd/6, MS_BIND|MS_REC): ok after cycle: Shmem: 65916 kB do_move_mount() runs check_for_nsfs_mounts() over a detached tree for exactly that reason. Do the same for the copy before it is grafted. | |
| Title | namespace: check a recursive bind mount for mount namespace loops | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-10-23T12:20:08.366Z
Reserved: 2026-09-25T10:25:14.384Z
Link: CVE-2026-98989
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Received
Published: 2026-10-23T13:17:20.863
Modified: 2026-10-23T13:17:20.863
Link: CVE-2026-98989
Redhat
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
No data.
Weaknesses
No weakness.