null_blk: serialize configfs attribute updates with device setup
Key facts
- Attack vector
- —
- Privileges required
- —
- User interaction
- —
- Attack complexity
- —
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- —
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 4 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: null_blk: serialize configfs attribute updates with device setup The attribute store methods generated with NULLB_DEVICE_ATTR() refuse to change the configuration of a live device by testing NULLB_DEV_FL_CONFIGURED, but that flag is only set by nullb_device_power_store() after null_add_dev() has returned, and the store methods take no lock at all. configfs only serializes writes to the same open file (buffer->mutex), so a write to any attribute can run concurrently with null_add_dev() and change the device configuration while it is being used. null_add_dev() reads the configuration several times, e.g. dev->zoned is read once to set up the queue limits and once to initialize the zone resources: CPU0: echo 1 > nullb0/power CPU1: echo 1 > nullb0/zoned nullb_device_power_store() mutex_lock(&lock) null_add_dev() if (dev->zoned) -> false /* no BLK_FEAT_ZONED */ nullb_device_zoned_store() test_bit(FL_CONFIGURED) -> 0 dev->zoned = true blk_mq_alloc_disk() /* queue is not zoned */ if (nullb->dev->zoned) -> true null_register_zoned_dev() blk_revalidate_disk_zones() blk_revalidate_disk_zones() is then called for a queue that does not have BLK_FEAT_ZONED set, which triggers its WARN_ON_ONCE() and fails the device setup with -EIO: WARNING: CPU: 2 PID: 322 at block/blk-zoned.c:2357 blk_revalidate_disk_zones+0x4c/0x560 Clearing dev->zoned in the same window is worse: the queue is created with BLK_FEAT_ZONED but the zone resources are never initialized, so add_disk() succeeds for a zoned disk that has no zones. And a store that lands after the last dev->zoned test leaves dev->zoned set while dev->zones is still NULL, which null_process_zoned_cmd() dereferences on the first write. Fix this by taking the global lock, which nullb_device_power_store() already holds across null_add_dev() and null_del_dev(), around both the NULLB_DEV_FL_CONFIGURED test and the update of the device configuration. The submit_queues and poll_queues apply callbacks are now called with that lock held, so remove the locking they did themselves. Since the store methods can run as soon as configfs_register_subsystem() returns, that is, before null_init() gets to mutex_init(&lock), also initialize the lock statically with DEFINE_MUTEX().
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.188, 6.6.157, 6.12.110, 6.18.52, 7.2.6, 7.3
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 4 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-90184
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-vmh6-cgxh-hrg9
- 2026-10-13 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-13 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-11-07 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6352e7ead2d8111802a554eeb94886f5a9894bb9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7de792b4c48fba02a36a8077032f7d5093c925e5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/aed8af338a09a64d63b068a803c4ecfc5701dd4c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/32456a85995579e56c60cc53c357cda75a9d4f7c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d3d35dd045a35991bf6fd13de5f293e6dd7bf3b3
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4e1f23f9c33c156be7e313b40695af5a3a834739
More Linux vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2021-02452 Incorrect authorization in Ubuntu linux kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
Sources
- CVE-2026-90184 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-90184 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-vmh6-cgxh-hrg9 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-90184 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences