net: page_pool: fix UAF in __page_pool_release_netmem_dma on xa_cmpxchg race
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: 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: net: page_pool: fix UAF in __page_pool_release_netmem_dma on xa_cmpxchg race This bug was discovered while testing the hns3 driver under channel reconfiguration (`ethtool -L` / `ethtool -G`) with iperf3 traffic on arm64. The race is intermittently triggered when page_pool_destroy() runs page_pool_scrub() concurrently with page return via page_pool_put_netmem() on a different CPU. A WARN in page_pool_clear_pp_info() surfaced the dangling DMA index bits left by the cmpxchg loser, which led to the investigation. page_pool_scrub() iterates pool->dma_mapped via xa_for_each() with no page ref held. __page_pool_release_netmem_dma() currently reads and writes netmem fields (dma_addr, DMA index bits in pp_magic) after xa_cmpxchg() returns. The unref path calls put_page() unconditionally regardless of the cmpxchg outcome; when it loses the cmpxchg, it still frees the page before the scrub winner finishes these netmem accesses, so scrub touches a freed page -- a Use-After-Free. Fix this by splitting the DMA release into two functions: 1. __page_pool_unmap_netmem_dma() caches dma_addr before xa_cmpxchg(), does the cmpxchg to remove the DMA mapping, and calls dma_unmap on the cached address. It never touches netmem fields after the cmpxchg, making it safe for the scrub path which holds no page ref. 2. __page_pool_release_netmem_dma() wraps the above and additionally clears dma_addr and DMA index bits in netmem fields. This is safe only when the caller holds a page ref, so it is used by the return path (page_pool_return_netmem). The scrub path calls __page_pool_unmap_netmem_dma() directly; the return path calls __page_pool_release_netmem_dma().
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 6.12.110, 6.16
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.12.110, 6.18.52, 7.2.6, 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: 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: 5 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-90201
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-6rvq-r5r4-hcv8
- 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
- 2026-10-21 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-21 CVSS score changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
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Sources
- CVE-2026-90201 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-90201 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-6rvq-r5r4-hcv8 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-90201 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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