CVE-2026-98984: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dcache: don't put a mountpoint on a dentry that's being removed rmdir(), unlink() and rena

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dcache: don't put a mountpoint on a dentry that's being removed rmdir(), unlink() and rena

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dcache: don't put a mountpoint on a dentry that's being removed rmdir(), unlink() and rename() call dont_mount() on the victim and then detach_mounts() with the victim's inode locked. do_lock_mount() takes the inode lock of the mountpoint and checks cant_mount() so a mount can't show up after detach_mounts(). But attach_recursive_mnt() makes a second mountpoint for the root of the source mount so that the mounts already located at the destination can be put on top of it. No inode is locked for that one and d_set_mounted() only refuses a dentry that is unlinked. Between detach_mounts() and d_delete() the victim is still hashed: rmrace: b passed dont_mount() and detach_mounts(), sleeping T2: move_mount(S, /tmp/plcant/x, BENEATH) = 0 errno 0 () T1: rmdir(/tmp/plcant/d/b) = 0 errno 0 109 107 0:61 /d/b//deleted /tmp/plcant/x rw,relatime - tmpfs tmpfs rw 108 109 0:63 / /tmp/plcant/x rw,relatime - tmpfs T rw A bind mount of the directory that's being removed is moved beneath an existing mount while the rmdir() is located between the two calls. The mount ends up on the removed directory and nothing w

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.17%, higher than 6% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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