Vulnerability · CVE-2026-98537
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: workqueue: Fix NULL current_pwq deref in flush dependency check check_flush_dependency() uses curre…
Published Oct 18, 2026 · catalog updated Oct 18, 2026 · the affected product
Open the advisory
Exploitation likelihood is not on this record for CVE-2026-98537. 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: workqueue: Fix NULL current_pwq deref in flush dependency check check_flush_dependency() uses current_wq_worker() to determine whether the caller is a workqueue worker and then dereferences worker->current_pwq to test whether the current workqueue is WQ_MEM_RECLAIM. current_wq_worker() only means that %current has PF_WQ_WORKER set. A kworker can reach check_flush_dependency() while it is not executing a work item. One such path is worker_thread() acting as the pool manager, where create_worker() does GFP_KERNEL allocation and the allocation path invokes the OOM notifier. In that state worker->current_pwq is NULL because current_pwq is set only by process_one_work() and cleared again after the work function returns. [ 416.760634][ T375] Call trace: [ 416.760638][ T375] check_flush_dependency+0x80/0x120 (P) [ 416.760648][ T375] __flush_work+0x98/0x224 [ 416.760657][ T375] flush_work+0x30/0x44 [ 416.760665][ T375] ... [ 416.760710][ T375] blocking_notifier_call_chain+0x58/0xa0 [ 416.760719][ T375] out_of_memory+0xb4/0x458 [ 416.760730][ T375] __alloc_pages_may_oom+0x11c/0x1a8 [ 416.760739][ T375] __alloc_pages_slowpath+0x314/0x46c [ 416.760746][ T375] __alloc_frozen_pages_noprof+0x110/0x1a4 [ 416.760753][ T375] new_slab+0x12c/0x484 [ 416.760759][ T375] ___slab_alloc+0x7a8/0xc7c [ 416.760765][ T375] __slab_alloc+0x74/0xd8 [ 416.760772][ T375] __kmalloc_cache_node_noprof+0x2ac/0x304 [ 416.760779][ T375] alloc_worker+0x28/0x60 [ 416.760785][ T375] create_worker+0x4c/0x20c [ 416.760790][ T375] worker_thread+0xe8/0x2b8 [ 416.760796][ T375] kthread+0x1a8/0x200 [ 416.760805][ T375] ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 Guard the WQ_MEM_RECLAIM-worker warning with worker->current_pwq. If the kworker is not currently executing a work item, there is no current workqueue to diagnose with that warning. The PF_MEMALLOC warning is left unchanged so explicit reclaim context flushing a !WQ_MEM_RECLAIM target is still reported.
No affected version ranges are stored yet. Use the vendor advisory before you decide this record does not apply.
How to fix CVE-2026-98537
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-2026-98537. 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: workqueue: Fix NULL current_pwq deref in flush dependency check check_flush_dependency() uses current_wq_worker() to determine whether the caller is a workqueue worker and then dereferences worker->current_pwq to test whether the current workqueue is WQ_MEM_RECLAIM. current_wq_worker() only means that %current has PF_WQ_WORKER set
Sources
- NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2026-98537
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: workqueue: Fix NULL current_pwq deref in flush dependency check check_flush_dependency() uses current_wq_worker() to determine whether the caller is a workqueue worker and then dereferences worker->current_pwq
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.