Out-of-bounds memory access in Linux kernel libata SCSI passthru
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: 2 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
The Linux kernel libata SCSI layer is affected, including versions from 6.6.44 before 6.6.158 and from 6.10.3 before 6.11. The ata_scsi_set_passthru_sense_fields() function trusts the additional length byte of an ATAPI device's REQUEST SENSE reply, so the kernel reads and writes past its 96 byte sense buffer. A faulty or malicious ATAPI device can trigger this when an ATA PASS-THROUGH command fails.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-30
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ata: libata-scsi: bound the ATA passthru sense descriptor writes When an ATA PASS-THROUGH command to an ATAPI device fails, the sense buffer holds the device's REQUEST SENSE reply, and ata_scsi_set_passthru_sense_fields() trusts its additional length byte, sb[7], when adding the ATA Status Return descriptor. A faulty or malicious device can use that to make the kernel read and write past the 96-byte buffer in three ways: - scsi_sense_desc_find() is passed sb[7] + 8 as the buffer length, so its clamp against sb[7] does nothing and the walk runs off the end. - A type-9 descriptor found near the end is filled in unchecked. - A new descriptor at sb[8 + len] needs len + 22 bytes, not len + 14, so len 75..82 writes up to 8 bytes past the end. Reproduced with KASAN under qemu, with the emulated ATAPI REQUEST SENSE reply patched: BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in scsi_sense_desc_find+0x1a5/0x210 BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in ata_scsi_qc_complete+0x1a15/0x1a50 Both are gone with this patch, and a valid descriptor is still filled in.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
Fixed versions are 6.6.158, 6.11, 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9 and 7.3 for the Linux kernel. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 has no fix available yet, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 has no fix planned.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-30
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.6.158, 6.11
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.6.158, 6.12.112, 6.18.55, 7.2.9, 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 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
Not affected: 5 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5
Timeline
- 2026-10-18 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98545
- 2026-10-18 Alias added: GHSA-gq8r-6748-x6m5
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-20 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-20 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c698f6deabf680f8f4a1727ef2dc80fe78815fbf
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d9a7147b93624660626cd7c3b1143715699e1f5c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1603abb0c50420e97cf4a1feddbd5e183c5fdf86
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/80fbb0bc4d11683c88f2f9d3997ea02fcada5408
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/80320b278fea07ffcda3f57b67b61658e0a4e1ca
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Sources
- CVE-2026-98545 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98545 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-gq8r-6748-x6m5 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98545 · 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