nvmet-tcp: bound SGL data length before allocating command buffers
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
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- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 5 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nvmet-tcp: bound SGL data length before allocating command buffers nvmet_tcp_map_data() reads the host-controlled 32-bit sgl->length and, for the in-capsule offset descriptor (type 0x01), checks it against port->inline_data_size before use. Any other SGL descriptor type -- including the non-inline transport SGL data-block descriptor (type (NVME_TRANSPORT_SGL_DATA_DESC << 4) | NVME_SGL_FMT_TRANSPORT_A, the type a real host uses for out-of-capsule writes) skips that check entirely and falls straight through to: cmd->req.sg = sgl_alloc(len, GFP_KERNEL, &cmd->req.sg_cnt); with len taken directly from the wire, unbounded up to 4 GiB. nvmet_req_init() only parses the command and never inspects sgl->length, and nvmet_check_transfer_len() -- the only other place transfer_len is validated -- runs later, from req->execute(), after the allocation has already happened. For a write command the target responds with an R2T and parks the command waiting for the host to send the data; if the host (or an unauthenticated peer that simply never follows up) never does, the sgl_alloc() buffer stays resident for the life of the command. NVMe/TCP has no mandatory authentication in the default configuration, so any peer able to reach the target portal and complete a Fabrics connect can drive this with a single crafted command, repeatable across queues and connections for amplification. This is unbounded kernel memory allocation triggered by a remote, effectively unauthenticated peer. Validate len against the same NVMET_TCP_MAXH2CDATA ceiling this file already uses to bound per-PDU H2C data, for every SGL descriptor type, before doing any allocation. This closes the gap for the non-inline descriptor while leaving the existing, tighter inline_data_size check in place for the in-capsule case. Runtime-verified on a v6.19 KASAN stand: with this bound in place, a crafted write command carrying an oversized non-inline SGL length is rejected before sgl_alloc() runs, where the same request previously drove an unbounded ~256 MiB kernel allocation (up to 4 GiB) that stayed resident pending an R2T the host never satisfies.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 5.0 and later | 5.10.269, 5.15.220, 6.1.187, 6.6.156, 6.12.106, 6.18.47, 7.1.11, 7.2.1, 7.3 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.0 and later Fixed in 5.10.269, 5.15.220, 6.1.187, 6.6.156, 6.12.106, 6.18.47, 7.1.11, 7.2.1, 7.3 Patch available CNA
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.269, 5.15.220, 6.1.187, 6.6.156, 6.12.106, 6.18.47, 7.1.11, 7.2.1, 7.3
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | Affected | No fix yet |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-80789
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-jx2c-6h88-85vx
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f6e51b09cbaa5f6f6e6a3a9dafa666f76c37aab5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f63e89a0310264264923f84406dea05fe752de62
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0952541b153e258b99d39cdb03ea6919fdeb41d0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/25ad03d5c0e858c4b63f1e4b6d461d2af1b30b22
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d2acc96c528d589f5827cfb90e8e9229dd9d8cb4
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6d27199ebe8cb223022150f74be13f154a964474
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/14dbe37681a6a7e346fc147bb363ec7cca3180a0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d895e66628f939edbb98608f6e033d3d39e6e546
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4a3f00262a044e8e15064b1a6860968bf0500bf4
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Sources
- CVE-2026-80789 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-80789 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-jx2c-6h88-85vx · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-80789 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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