Use-after-free in Linux kernel memstick card allocation
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: 7 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
The Linux kernel memstick subsystem from 2.6.25 contains a use-after-free flaw in memstick_alloc_card() and memstick_set_rw_addr(). These functions stop waiting after a timeout and free the card while the host controller driver still writes to a request buffer inside it. A delayed device transfer can therefore trigger a write into freed kernel memory.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: memstick: core: wait for request completion before freeing card In memstick_alloc_card() and memstick_set_rw_addr(), wait_for_completion_timeout() is used to wait for device identification and address configuration requests to complete. The memstick subsystem does not provide an abort or cancellation callback in struct memstick_host for in-flight requests. If wait_for_completion_timeout() expires (for instance, when a USB transfer or command retry is delayed), memstick_alloc_card() returns an error and frees the memstick_dev structure via kfree(card). However, the host controller driver (such as rtsx_usb_ms) is still running the request asynchronously in worker context. When the transfer eventually finishes, the driver writes into host->req->data, which points to memory inside the already freed card structure. This leads to a KASAN slab-use-after-free write: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ms_read_bytes+0x8fe/0x990 Write of size 1 at addr ffff88813c188079 by task kworker/1:5/5239 Workqueue: events rtsx_usb_ms_handle_req Call Trace: ms_read_bytes+0x8fe/0x990 drivers/memstick/host/rtsx_usb_ms.c:450 rtsx_usb_ms_issue_cmd drivers/memstick/host/rtsx_usb_ms.c:477 [inline] rtsx_usb_ms_handle_req+0x557/0x1a00 drivers/memstick/host/rtsx_usb_ms.c:531 process_one_work+0xac7/0x1b10 kernel/workqueue.c:3396 worker_thread+0x5ef/0xe50 kernel/workqueue.c:3560 kthread+0x373/0x450 kernel/kthread.c:436 Allocated by task 1662: memstick_alloc_card drivers/memstick/core/memstick.c:383 [inline] memstick_check+0x2c1/0x10d0 drivers/memstick/core/memstick.c:452 process_one_work+0xac7/0x1b10 kernel/workqueue.c:3396 Freed by task 1662: kfree+0x20c/0x650 mm/slub.c:6792 memstick_alloc_card drivers/memstick/core/memstick.c:420 [inline] memstick_check+0x72b/0x10d0 drivers/memstick/core/memstick.c:452 process_one_work+0xac7/0x1b10 kernel/workqueue.c:3396 Host controller drivers (rtsx_usb_ms, jmb38x_ms, tifm_ms, r592) already implement their own hardware and bus timeouts, and callers in mspro_block and ms_block already rely on wait_for_completion() unconditionally. Replace wait_for_completion_timeout() with wait_for_completion() in memstick_set_rw_addr() and memstick_alloc_card() so that the card structure is never freed while an asynchronous request is in flight.
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 | 2.6.25 and later | 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.57, 7.2.11, 7.3 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 2.6.25 and later Fixed in 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.57, 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, 6.12.113, 6.18.57, 7.2.11 or 7.3. The sources list no fixed version for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10, or OpenShift Container Platform 4 or 5.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.57, 7.2.11, 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 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | 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 |
Timeline
- 2026-10-23 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-99039
- 2026-10-23 Alias added: GHSA-r8cv-6pg4-74wg
- 2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-29 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/Linux@1c23da6f148089d59b3d3e9b2e7f1eefa927cab9, Linux/[email protected], Linux/[email protected] +3 · CNA
- 2026-10-30 3 new references · CNA
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b90f33ad9179c69658342323382bfed158f88cb9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1c23da6f148089d59b3d3e9b2e7f1eefa927cab9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a2f1aa3341f185ca52103dc4908647570b208855
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c3ab92542475d59ae685cbb294e70ca4d0ba38e9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/810580cf60edc75c9891c2de3225e4cda78e4d9f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f2795c50144d528dabc2cf2fd53c0f0c63a823a1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3af81770e2011c6ac7bb597a4af2e4f3591f928c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/aa0a37b5024d921e96ac4f8f487c8bfbf1f1a582
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Sources
- CVE-2026-99039 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-99039 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-r8cv-6pg4-74wg · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-99039 · 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