Use-after-free of unbound worker pool in Linux kernel workqueue
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: 5 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
The Linux kernel workqueue frees an unbound worker pool while an empty pending pool work queue still references it, causing a use-after-free read. The flaw affects Linux kernel from 6.6.23 before 6.6.25, from 6.8.2 before 6.8.4, from 6.7.11 before 6.8, and from 6.9.
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: workqueue: Fix unbound pool lifetime for pending pwqs KASAN reports a use-after-free of an unbound worker_pool in node_activate_pending_pwq(): BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in _raw_spin_trylock+0x6d/0x120 Read of size 4 at addr ffff8880089ce000 by task kworker/u22:0/318 CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 318 Comm: kworker/u22:0 Not tainted 7.2.0 #1 PREEMPT(lazy) Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.15.0-1 04/01/2014 Workqueue: 0x0 (flush-8:0) Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x53/0x70 print_report+0xce/0x610 kasan_report+0xce/0x100 _raw_spin_trylock+0x6d/0x120 pwq_dec_nr_in_flight+0x4b4/0xcb0 process_one_work+0x921/0x11a0 worker_thread+0x4d0/0xd20 kthread+0x2de/0x3c0 ret_from_fork+0x3aa/0x620 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 </TASK> Allocated by task 311: alloc_pwq+0x439/0xca0 apply_wqattrs_prepare+0x75e/0xd10 apply_workqueue_attrs_locked+0x44/0xa0 wq_nice_store+0x350/0x450 Freed by task 0: kfree+0x127/0x3b0 rcu_core+0x523/0x1780 handle_softirqs+0x1b3/0x610 Last potentially related work creation: put_unbound_pool+0x3f3/0x7d0 pwq_release_workfn+0x494/0x8e0 kthread_worker_fn+0x1ff/0x790 Canceling the last inactive work skips pwq_dec_nr_active(), so an empty pwq can remain on pending_pwqs when its refcnt reaches zero. pwq_release_workfn() currently puts the pool before removing that pwq. If this drops the last pool reference, the pool can be RCU-freed while the pwq remains reachable, and node_activate_pending_pwq() may trylock the freed pool->lock. Remove the pwq from pending_pwqs before putting the pool.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
The Linux kernel is fixed in 6.6.25, 6.8.4, 6.8, 6.12.115, 6.18.59, 7.2.13 and 7.3. Red Hat lists Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 as affected with no fix planned, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 and Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 as affected with no fix available.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.6.25, 6.8.4, 6.8
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.6.25, 6.8.4, 6.12.115, 6.18.59, 7.2.13, 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 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 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-28 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-99103
- 2026-10-28 Alias added: GHSA-qwjv-757x-9f99
- 2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-29 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/Linux@390b9542fe670b8936738140ef9f349df6adeab6, Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-30 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6741dd3fd38e47c08bc39d11ef5fa141fa6d0441
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9f5d5aef3072a33c6f9bfb954bb0cba1c2541849
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/390b9542fe670b8936738140ef9f349df6adeab6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f320b85c90fe5fc9d4d06badd450518323a94a7f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3d2ef2b9f4c084ab498494d26495a82f7e15407b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cf9c8aaea0d47410df8708bec195889f3a85cd3c
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Sources
- CVE-2026-99103 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-99103 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-qwjv-757x-9f99 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-99103 · 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