Linux kernel autofs wrongly enters catatonic mode on replaced pipe
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
- Partial Red Hat: 6 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
The autofs filesystem in the Linux kernel is affected. When a daemon replaces its notification pipe, a delayed write error on the old pipe makes the kernel enter catatonic mode again, which closes the new pipe and releases the new daemon's wait queues. A local user with low privileges can fill the old pipe during a daemon restart, causing denial of service for a shared autofs service.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-03
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: autofs: ignore notification errors from a replaced pipe autofs_notify_daemon() takes a reference to the current notification pipe under wq_mutex, then drops the mutex before writing the request. The write can block while the daemon enters catatonic mode and installs a replacement pipe. If the old pipe's reader is then closed, the delayed write returns -EPIPE and the generic error path enters catatonic mode again. That transition acts on the current superblock state, closes the replacement pipe, and releases the new daemon generation's wait queues. Only enter catatonic mode when the pipe which failed is still the current pipe. Factor the already-locked transition so the identity check and state change are atomic with respect to another replacement. This was reproduced on v7.3-rc5-337-gff47652a4b66c in a local QEMU guest. An unprivileged UID 65534 lookup filled the old packet pipe before a normal CATATONIC/SETPIPEFD restart. On the unmodified kernel, the new pipe received HUP and both a pending victim lookup and a later lookup failed with ENOENT in two out of two fresh-mount runs. With this change, the new pipe remained active, received an intact 304-byte request, and both victim lookups completed in two out of two runs. Normal lookup and restart-without-a-blocked-writer controls passed. No KASAN, oops, refcount, or lock diagnostic was observed. A source reproducer and complete local logs are available privately on request. The demonstrated impact is limited to denial of a shared autofs service during a legitimate daemon restart. No memory corruption, information leak, privilege escalation, or code execution primitive was observed.
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 | 2.6.28 and later | 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 6.12.115, 6.18.59, 7.2.13, 7.3 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 2.6.28 and later Fixed in 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 6.12.115, 6.18.59, 7.2.13, 7.3 Patch available CNA
Remediation
Update the Linux kernel to 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 6.12.115, 6.18.59, 7.2.13 or 7.3 for the matching branch. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 has no fix planned, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, 9 and 10 and Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 and 5 have no fix available.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-03
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 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 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 |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Timeline
- 2026-10-28 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-99181
- 2026-10-28 Alias added: GHSA-q48x-cfgc-jf7c
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/Linux@35c2c4f3cf1403b058237c44000199a6c9a59273, Linux/[email protected], Linux/[email protected] +7 · CNA
- 2026-10-30 5 new references · CNA
- 2026-11-02 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-02 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-11-03 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/95ba5de229c1875e836f10646c4e6c454d560060
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d3477ebdce74dc3bae404048258e70d7046c208a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6d2b8ad36e09e07993addd4ce92b578d3b13c8f8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/35c2c4f3cf1403b058237c44000199a6c9a59273
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8c8386ffc582155451f074f25759f665e626a850
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1a177064f501ed4b67873a43aae5d5bdb18b3704
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fb296391f685d82dbb93621a970fb234cea45280
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/65676cd4203c0e41a94caf54080a7f0a95434bda
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Sources
- CVE-2026-99181 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-99181 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-q48x-cfgc-jf7c · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-99181 · 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