{"cve":"CVE-2026-98851","nvd":{"published":"2026-10-18T16:17:39.490","modified":"2026-10-21T13:21:49.690","status":"Received","description":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nnetfilter: nft_flow_offload: drop flowtable reference on init error path\n\nnft_flow_offload_init() bumps the flowtable use count with\nnft_use_inc() before calling nf_ct_netns_get().  When the latter\nfails, the error is returned as-is and the reference is leaked.\n\nThe upper layers do not balance it either: nf_tables_newexpr()\nclears expr->ops when the expression init callback fails, so the\nnft_expr_more() iteration in nft_rule_expr_deactivate() and\nnf_tables_rule_destroy() stops right before the failed expression\nand its ->destroy callback, which would drop the reference, never\nruns.\n\nEach failed rule addition therefore leaks one flowtable reference\nand the flowtable can no longer be removed: NFT_MSG_DELFLOWTABLE\nkeeps reporting -EBUSY even though no rule references it.\n\nSave the nf_ct_netns_get() return value and undo the nft_use_inc()\nwhen it fails, restoring the inc/dec pairing within\nnft_flow_offload_init() itself.","cvss_v4":null,"cvss_v3":null,"cwes":[],"references":["https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1d27214fd9a4d2c0c6d998fc9d4fb61448a3438e","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4cd378423a33194a773c267fc58606d28fce95cf","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/64ac0cb574c740bf723affb79b646eeba920db6b","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/747928b5d4ff8c8de55138a54c13980e4bb88578","https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c5f91098edee98c015f78488460a0609e62582a5"],"products":[],"source":"nvd","synced_at":"2026-10-22T16:41:11.231219466+00:00"},"epss":{"cve":"CVE-2026-98851","score":0.00162,"percentile":0.0535,"date":"2026-10-25"},"kev":null,"osv":[],"attribution":["This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.","EPSS scores: FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System, https://www.first.org/epss","Known exploited vulnerabilities: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog","Package advisories: OSV (https://osv.dev), from the GitHub Advisory Database, PyPA, Go, RustSec and other ecosystem databases, under CC-BY 4.0 or CC0","CVE records: the CVE Program's CVE List (https://www.cve.org), under its terms of use (https://www.cve.org/Legal/TermsOfUse). CVE is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation; this product is not affiliated with the CVE Program."]}