CVE-2026-89835: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: f2fs: avoid NULL checkpoint thread access in sysfs checkpoint

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: f2fs: avoid NULL checkpoint thread access in sysfs checkpoint_merge can be enabled even wh

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: f2fs: avoid NULL checkpoint thread access in sysfs checkpoint_merge can be enabled even when no checkpoint merge thread is running. A read-only mount is one case: f2fs does not start f2fs_issue_ckpt there, but ckpt_thread_ioprio is still writable through sysfs. The ckpt_thread_ioprio store path updates the saved ioprio value and, when checkpoint_merge is enabled, calls set_task_ioprio() for the checkpoint thread. If cprc->f2fs_issue_ckpt is NULL, that dereferences a NULL task pointer. Protect ckpt_thread_ioprio sysfs writes with s_umount as well, so the checkpoint thread cannot disappear under the store path while updating its ioprio.

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.21%, higher than 11% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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