Reference leak in Linux kernel SCSI changer driver
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
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Fixed
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
The Linux kernel SCSI changer driver (ch) keeps references to data transfer element devices and never drops them. After such a drive is removed, its SCSI device cannot be released, so a new device at that address is refused and the driver module cannot be unloaded until the system reboots. The Linux kernel from 2.6.13 is affected.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-07
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: scsi: ch: Do not keep references to data transfer element devices ch_readconfig() looks up the scsi_device of every data transfer element whose SCSI id the changer reports in READ ELEMENT STATUS, and stores it in ch->dt[]. scsi_device_lookup() takes a reference, and nothing ever drops it: ch_destroy() frees the array with kfree(). ch->dt[] is read nowhere else - it only supplies the vendor, model and revision printed in the same loop. Once such a drive is removed, its scsi_device can never be released. It stays on the host's device list at its address, so a new device there is refused by anything that walks the list - target_core_pscsi reports "scsi_device_get() failed for H:C:T:L" - and the low-level driver's module can no longer be unloaded. Only a reboot recovers. It shows with any changer that reports its drives' ids; with the mhvtl virtual library (IBM 3573-TL personality), each create and remove of a library with four drives leaves four references behind, counted by the module's use count in lsmod. With ch not bound the count is unchanged, and with this patch applied it is unchanged too. Drop the reference as soon as the name has been printed, and remove the now unused dt[] array. That also removes the array leaked when ch_probe() fails after ch_readconfig(). The same leak was reported with an RFC patch in 2022, which was not merged.
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 | 2.6.13 and later | 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.58, 7.2.11, 7.3 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 2.6.13 and later Fixed in 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.58, 7.2.11, 7.3 Patch available CNA
Remediation
Upgrade the Linux kernel to 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.58, 7.2.11 or 7.3.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-07
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.58, 7.2.11, 7.3
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 7 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- 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
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5
Timeline
- 2026-10-23 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-99019
- 2026-10-23 Alias added: GHSA-3xf5-26fr-5wmr
- 2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-29 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/Linux@03287b176e8f7cc5680a7053e2d53bd5cb05d80c, Linux/[email protected], Linux/[email protected] +3 · CNA
- 2026-10-30 3 new references · CNA
- 2026-11-07 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7412c6fb671dda9776deebb283daf0bb2f1b48e5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/03287b176e8f7cc5680a7053e2d53bd5cb05d80c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/72ad7b08ffd5d9495715db0d74ce325a485f1b52
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ec6ecab1b7577ae555ee6b81480814d123dd9ec0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cef2cedb6f7a394b278775b3d6ffb9b20ecd61db
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a34a230ccea1b8b667ae59dca11295a2c8f81738
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1d35a17f1c2ed4154731895694a1a3557f0da766
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/27c0f718d3b3c99e6d315308e95d987d0382a8a8
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Sources
- CVE-2026-99019 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-99019 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-3xf5-26fr-5wmr · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-99019 · 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