Is CVE-2026-98501 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-98501 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2026-98501?

Informational severity, published 18 October 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

Unknown Linux kernel versions prior to fix commit d3aba3442798ce4a4c8ce3104d7b286d61e605f9.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-98501?

No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

How is CVE-2026-98501 attacked?

It is attacked with local access, in an operating system.

Am I affected by CVE-2026-98501?

Check whether you run Unknown Linux kernel at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

CVE-2026-98501: Linux kernel HID alps use-after-free on input device registration failure

CVE-2026-98501 · Severity: info · Published 2026-10-18

The Linux kernel's HID ALPS driver handles input from touchpad and pointing stick devices. If the secondary input device (pointing stick) fails to register, the driver leaves a freed memory pointer in place; when subsequent touchpad events arrive, the driver dereferences this freed memory, potentially causing a system crash or undefined behavior.

Technologies: Unknown Linux kernel. Vendors: Unknown.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-98501 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-98501 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-98501?: Informational severity, published 18 October 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: Unknown Linux kernel versions prior to fix commit d3aba3442798ce4a4c8ce3104d7b286d61e605f9.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-98501?: No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.
How is CVE-2026-98501 attacked?: It is attacked with local access, in an operating system.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-98501?: Check whether you run Unknown Linux kernel at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

Technical details

A use-after-free vulnerability in the ALPS HID driver occurs when input_register_device() fails for the secondary input device (input2). The driver stores a pointer to input2 in drvdata before calling input_register_device(); if registration fails, input_free_device() is called but the stale pointer remains. Since hid_hw_open() has already been called, URBs are active and raw_event handlers can fire during this window, causing u1_raw_event() to dereference the freed input2 pointer when processing U1_SP_ABSOLUTE_REPORT_ID reports. The fix defers storing input2 until after successful registration and adds a NULL check in the raw_event path.

Affected products

<UNKNOWN> Linux kernel versions prior to fix commit d3aba3442798ce4a4c8ce3104d7b286d61e605f9

Timeline

2026-10-18: disclosed

References

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