Vulnerability Snapshot
CVE-2026-98432 is rated CRITICAL — exploitation is trivial or already observed in the wild and impact is severe. Patch immediately, not on the next maintenance window.
Executive Summary
CVSSv3 Score: 9.8 CVE-2026-98432:ipv4: free inet_opt and ireq_opt after an RCU grace period tcp_v4_syn_recv_sock() transfers ownership of ireq->ireq_opt to the child socket (newinet->inet_opt) without copying it. Another cpu can concurrently process a retransmitted SYN for the same request socket, and send a SYNACK from tcp_check_req(). tcp_v4_send_synack() and inet_csk_route_req() read ireq->ireq_opt under rcu_read_lock() only, and ip_build_and_send_pkt() and ip_options_build() then read opt->o
Source
How Vulnios Detects This
Vulnios scans for this vulnerability using Trivy and Grype for CVE matching against your container images and OS package manifests. Run a scan against your environment to see whether you are exposed; findings are linked back to the original CVE record so triage starts with the patch path already known.
AI Security Advisor
Powered by Gemini
Get AI-powered security recommendations tailored to this specific threat — including risk assessment, detection guidance, MITRE ATT&CK mapping, and actionable remediation steps.
Sources
Related Threat Alerts
- Government Linux Servers Targeted With SysGoRAT and Suspected AI-Generated Scripts
- ⚡ Weekly Recap: Critical CVEs, Linux DDoS Botnet, Device-Code Phishing, Android Spyware and More
- DSA-6602-1 linux - security update
- Alpine Linux rebuilds GitLab after attempted RCE attack
- Max-Severity GitLab Vulnerability Exploited Against Alpine Linux
- CVE-2026-98432 - Linux kernel IPv4 TCP use-after-free Issue
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-98432?
CVE-2026-98432 is a critical-severity vulnerability tracked under the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures program. CVSSv3 Score: 9.8 CVE-2026-98432:ipv4: free inet_opt and ireq_opt after an RCU grace period tcp_v4_syn_recv_sock() transfers ownership of ireq->ireq_opt to the child socket (newinet->inet_opt) without
Am I affected?
Affected technology is listed in the Affected Products section above. If your asset inventory contains any of them, assume in-scope until you can prove otherwise.
How urgent is the response?
Critical: do not wait for your normal patch cycle. Verify exposure today, apply the vendor patch immediately, and add detection rules for any post-exploit indicators.
How do I remediate?
Apply the vendor patch listed in the upstream advisory linked under Sources. If the patch is not yet available, follow the vendor-supplied workaround (often a config flag or feature disable) and add detections for the published exploit pattern in your SIEM. Re-scan after the patch lands to confirm the finding clears.
Where can I track exploitation activity?
Watch CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog for CVE-2026-98432. Cross-reference with public exploit databases and your own SIEM/IDS for indicator-of-compromise patterns. Vulnios tracks KEV status automatically and surfaces it on the asset findings view.
How does Vulnios help with this?
Vulnios continuously cross-references your asset inventory against the live CVE feed (NVD, vendor advisories, CISA KEV, and curated OSINT). When a new CVE matches your environment, you get a prioritized finding with the severity, KEV status, exploit-prediction (EPSS), and a direct path to the vendor patch. You can start a free scan from the homepage.
Protect Your Organization
Monitor CVEs, scan for vulnerabilities, and get real-time threat alerts — all in one platform.
Weekly threat digest
KEV-listed exploits and vendor advisories, every Monday.
One email a week. Unsubscribe any time.
Get instant alerts on Telegram
Join our public channel for real-time critical CVE alerts.
Follow @vulnios