{"id":"CVE-2026-98040","state":"PUBLISHED","title":"bpf: Mark the zero register precise for a register-form NULL check","description":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nbpf: Mark the zero register precise for a register-form NULL check\n\ncheck_cond_jmp_op() accepts \"if rA <op> rB\" as a NULL check for a\nnullable pointer rA when rB is a scalar known to be zero,\nlifts PTR_MAYBE_NULL from rA in the corresponding branch and does not\nmark rB precise. Consider the following program:\n\n  r0 = bpf_get_prandom_u32();\n  r6 = 1;                  /* the r6 == 0 path is explored first */\n  if (r0 == 0) goto 1f;\n  r6 = 0;\n1:\n  r0 = bpf_map_lookup_elem(map, &0);  /* absent, NULL at runtime */\n  if (r0 == r6) goto 2f;   /* taken as a NULL check for r0       */\n  *(u8 *)(r0 + 0);         /* verifier: map value; runtime: zero */\n2:\n  return 0;\n\nThe r6 == 0 path is explored first and the dereference is accepted.\nThe r6 == 1 path is pruned at the checkpoint recorded for (1),\nso the comparison is never verified with a non-zero r6. At runtime a\nfailed lookup returns NULL, NULL != 1 takes the non-NULL edge and the\nprogram dereferences a pointer that is zero.","publishedAt":"2026-09-25T10:23:53.001Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-19T09:12:46.084Z","severity":null,"assigner":"Linux","products":["Linux Linux"],"affected":[{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","versions":[{"version":"2f4cb53eed448c1aeb6f4b40cf9c810716d8218c","status":"affected","lessThan":"ddca9a3b8833168dda3e62676648a636fb3f221c","versionType":"git"},{"version":"2f4cb53eed448c1aeb6f4b40cf9c810716d8218c","status":"affected","lessThan":"6aed0134d3cda6382385a734ae0158eb7df6b142","versionType":"git"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["kernel/bpf/verifier.c"]},{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"affected","versions":[{"version":"7.1","status":"affected"},{"version":"0","status":"unaffected","lessThan":"7.1","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"7.2.7","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"7.2.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"7.3","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"*","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["kernel/bpf/verifier.c"]}],"references":["https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ddca9a3b8833168dda3e62676648a636fb3f221c","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6aed0134d3cda6382385a734ae0158eb7df6b142"],"weaknesses":[],"ingestedAt":"2026-10-29T20:13:43.249Z","source":{"repository":"CVEProject/cvelistV5","path":"cves/2026/98xxx/CVE-2026-98040.json","commit":"556c9d3a8cd17e218bb8e452ba7cd619a384ff47"},"raw":{"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.2","cveMetadata":{"cveId":"CVE-2026-98040","state":"PUBLISHED","datePublished":"2026-09-25T10:23:53.001Z","dateUpdated":"2026-10-19T09:12:46.084Z","assignerShortName":"Linux","assignerOrgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","dateReserved":"2026-09-25T10:19:56.071Z"},"containers":{"cna":{"title":"bpf: Mark the zero register precise for a register-form NULL check","descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nbpf: Mark the zero register precise for a register-form NULL check\n\ncheck_cond_jmp_op() accepts \"if rA <op> rB\" as a NULL check for a\nnullable pointer rA when rB is a scalar known to be zero,\nlifts PTR_MAYBE_NULL from rA in the corresponding branch and does not\nmark rB precise. Consider the following program:\n\n  r0 = bpf_get_prandom_u32();\n  r6 = 1;                  /* the r6 == 0 path is explored first */\n  if (r0 == 0) goto 1f;\n  r6 = 0;\n1:\n  r0 = bpf_map_lookup_elem(map, &0);  /* absent, NULL at runtime */\n  if (r0 == r6) goto 2f;   /* taken as a NULL check for r0       */\n  *(u8 *)(r0 + 0);         /* verifier: map value; runtime: zero */\n2:\n  return 0;\n\nThe r6 == 0 path is explored first and the dereference is accepted.\nThe r6 == 1 path is pruned at the checkpoint recorded for (1),\nso the comparison is never verified with a non-zero r6. At runtime a\nfailed lookup returns NULL, NULL != 1 takes the non-NULL edge and the\nprogram dereferences a pointer that is zero."}],"affected":[{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","versions":[{"version":"2f4cb53eed448c1aeb6f4b40cf9c810716d8218c","status":"affected","lessThan":"ddca9a3b8833168dda3e62676648a636fb3f221c","versionType":"git"},{"version":"2f4cb53eed448c1aeb6f4b40cf9c810716d8218c","status":"affected","lessThan":"6aed0134d3cda6382385a734ae0158eb7df6b142","versionType":"git"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["kernel/bpf/verifier.c"]},{"vendor":"Linux","product":"Linux","defaultStatus":"affected","versions":[{"version":"7.1","status":"affected"},{"version":"0","status":"unaffected","lessThan":"7.1","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"7.2.7","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"7.2.*","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"7.3","status":"unaffected","lessThanOrEqual":"*","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}],"repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["kernel/bpf/verifier.c"]}],"references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ddca9a3b8833168dda3e62676648a636fb3f221c"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6aed0134d3cda6382385a734ae0158eb7df6b142"}],"providerMetadata":{"shortName":"Linux","orgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","dateUpdated":"2026-10-19T09:12:46.084Z"},"cpeApplicability":[{"nodes":[{"operator":"OR","negate":false,"cpeMatch":[{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"7.1","versionEndExcluding":"7.2.7"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"7.1","versionEndExcluding":"7.3"}]}]}],"x_generator":{"engine":"bippy-1.2.0"}}}}}