CVE-2026-98410 Linux CVE debrief

Who should care

Linux kernel maintainers, developers, and users who rely on the watchdog functionality in their systems should assess their exposure and apply the provided patches to prevent potential issues during system suspend/resume cycles.

Why it matters

CVE-2026-98410 is a Linux kernel vulnerability that addresses an issue with the watchdog suspend/resume handling of HW_RUNNING watchdog. Defenders should assess their exposure, apply patches, and monitor system logs to prevent potential issues.

• Defenders should verify if their Linux kernel versions are affected and apply patches to prevent unexpected system resets during suspend/resume cycles.
• System administrators should monitor system logs for watchdog-related issues during suspend/resume cycles to detect potential problems.
• Linux kernel developers should review and apply the provided patches to ensure the fix is implemented in their systems.

Technical summary

The Linux kernel vulnerability (CVE-2026-98410) addresses an issue in the watchdog suspend/resume handling of HW_RUNNING watchdog. The da9063_wdt_suspend() and da9063_wdt_resume() functions were updated to check WDOG_HW_RUNNING, in addition to watchdog_active(), to prevent unexpected system resets during suspend. The patch ensures that the watchdog is properly disabled during suspend, preventing it from continuing to count and potentially causing a system reset. This fix is relevant to Linux kernel maintainers, developers, and users who rely on the watchdog functionality in their systems.

Defensive priority

Medium

Recommended defensive actions

• Review and apply the provided patches to ensure the fix is implemented.
• Verify the Linux kernel version and update to a patched version if necessary.
• Monitor system logs for watchdog-related issues during suspend/resume cycles.
• Confirm whether affected product deployments exist in managed environments and assign an owner for follow-up.
• Review the supplied official advisory or CVE record to validate affected scope, severity, and vendor guidance.
• Plan vendor-supported updates or mitigations through normal change control where exposure is confirmed.
• Check relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review.

Evidence notes

The issue arises when the watchdog is left running by the driver, which sets WDOG_HW_RUNNING in da9063_wdt_probe(), but userspace never opens the device, so WDOG_ACTIVE remains cleared. This causes the wdt_disable() not to be executed in da9063_wdt_suspend(), leading to the watchdog continuing to count during system suspend.

Sources and references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.