Is CVE-2026-5398 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2026-5398 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2026-5398 be exploited remotely?

No. CVE-2026-5398 requires local access to exploit.

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-5398?

CVE-2026-5398 has a CVSS score of 8.4 (HIGH).

HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2026-5398

HIGH

CVE-2026-5398

CWE-416Published: April 22, 2026· Updated: Apr 22, 2026

8.4

CVSS v3.1

EPSS:0.01%probability of exploitation in 30 daysPercentile:2.2th

Official Description

The implementation of TIOCNOTTY failed to clear a back-pointer from the structure representing the controlling terminal to the calling process' session. If the invoking process then exits, the terminal structure may end up containing a pointer to freed memory.

A malicious process can abuse the dangling pointer to grant itself root privileges.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2026-5398 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 8.4.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-416): Use-after-free vulnerabilities involve accessing memory after it has been freed, often enabling arbitrary code execution.