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CVE-2026-72170
9p: skip nlink update in cacheless mode to fix WARN_ON
Published 2026-08-15 (2 months ago) by the Linux kernel CNA. Subsystem fs/9p. Debian urgency: not yet assigned.
What to do, per Debian release
Debian's own status for CVE-2026-72170 in every release this site tracks, and what each one means in practice. Every status below is the one the Debian Security Team publishes for this CVE. source
| Release | Status | Version | What this means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 12bookworm | fixedDLA-4777-1 · 2026-09-08 · text | 6.1.187-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. DLA-4777-1 shipped the fix on 2026-09-08, in 6.1.187-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 13trixie | fixed | 6.12.100-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 6.12.100-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 14forky | fixed | 7.1.5-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.1.5-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian unstablesid | fixed | 7.1.5-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.1.5-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
The vulnerability
What the bug is
v9fs_dec_count() unconditionally calls drop_nlink() on regular files, even when the inode's nlink is already zero. In cacheless mode the client refetches inode metadata from the server (the source of truth) on every operation, so by the time v9fs_remove() returns, the locally cached nlink may already reflect the post-unlink value: 1. Client initiates unlink, server processes it and sets nlink to 0 2. Client refetches inode metadata (nlink=0) before unlink returns 3. Client's v9fs_remove() completes successfully 4. Client calls v9fs_dec_count() which calls drop_nlink() on nlink=0 This race is easily triggered under heavy unlink workloads, such as stress-ng's unlink stressor, producing the following warning: WARNING: fs/inode.c:417 at drop_nlink+0x4c/0xc8 Call trace: drop_nlink+0x4c/0xc8 v9fs_remove+0x1e0/0x250 [9p] v9fs_vfs_unlink+0x20/0x38 [9p] vfs_unlink+0x13c/0x258 ... In cacheless mode the server is authoritative and the inode is on its way out, so locally adjusting nlink buys nothing. Skip v9fs_dec_count() entirely when neither CACHE_META nor CACHE_LOOSE is set, which both avoids the warning and removes a class of nlink races (two concurrent unlinkers observing nlink > 0 and both calling drop_nlink()) that an nlink == 0 guard alone would only narrow rather than close.
Where it lives
The fix touches these files. If the subsystem is one you do not use, the practical exposure is lower, though the package is still the vulnerable one.
fs/9p/vfs_inode.c
- What this is
- 9P FILE SYSTEMMAINTAINERS section matched on fs/9p/ · v9fs@lists.linux.dev · Maintained
- Kernel module
- 9p
Check it on the machine
grep -w CONFIG_9P_FS /boot/config-$(uname -r)Reads the booted kernel's own configuration, on the machine and nowhere else. =y is built in, =m is a module, and an is not set line means the code is not there.
lsmod | grep -w 9pPrints a line if that module is loaded right now, and nothing if it is not. One that is not loaded can still be loaded later by anything that needs it.
Show whether Debian builds this, per release
Debian builds this, but not on every flavour. At least one release below builds the code on some of its kernel flavours and not on others, so the answer depends on the architecture and flavour installed.
- bookworm, trixie, forky, sidMnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64
- M
- a module where it is built at all; some flavours do not build it
- Build switch
- CONFIG_9P_FS
From the configuration Debian publishes for every kernel flavour it builds. It covers only the architectures Debian ships a linux-config package for, and nothing about a kernel you built yourself. Debian's own status above stays authoritative about the source package.MAINTAINERS kbuild Makefiles Debian linux-config packages
Signals
- Published
- 2026-08-15 (2 months ago)source
- CVSS
- 7.8 high
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsource recompute it - Attack vector
- local (AV:L)source
- EPSS
- 0.17%, higher than 5.8% of all CVEssource
- CISA KEV
- not listedthe KEV catalogue
- Debian urgency
- not yet assignedsource
- Subsystem
- fs/9p
Upstream fixes
The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source
| Introduced | Fixed in | Commit |
|---|---|---|
| 4.17 | 5.10.266 | 6086469f7d46 |
| 4.17 | 5.15.217 | ab257019cb72 |
| 4.17 | 6.1.184 | 4ec4ebe40c82 |
| 4.17 | 6.6.145 | a5a682b016ef |
| 4.17 | 6.12.97 | de79c3f36438 |
| 4.17 | 6.18.40 | 8d610017c992 |
| 4.17 | 7.1.5 | 8faccac11e13 |
| 4.17 | 7.2 | 574aa0b47994 |
Debian advisories
| Advisory | Date | Shipped to | Debian |
|---|---|---|---|
| DLA-4777-1 | 2026-09-08 | bookworm 6.1.187-1 | tracker |
Why the CNA scored it this way
Quoted from the kernel CNA's own scoring file, word for word. A highlighted metric carries the most severe value CVSS v3.1 defines for it, which is what pushes the score up. source
- AV:LAttack vector, local
- Triggered via unlink/rmdir/rename syscalls on a mounted 9p client filesystem (default cacheless mode). Common in QEMU/KVM virtio-9p guest shares and TCP-mounted exports; requires code execution on the client host, not direct remote packet delivery to this kernel path.
- AC:LAttack complexity, low
- The fix commit states the race is easily triggered under heavy unlink workloads (e.g., stress-ng). An attacker can drive concurrent unlinks or getattr/unlink on the same inode to refresh server nlink=0 before drop_nlink(), controlling both sides of the race.
- PR:LPrivileges required, low
- Exploitation requires only normal filesystem write permission on the 9p export (may_delete_dentry/inode_permission on the parent directory). Guest users on virtio-9p shares or tenants with write access do not need root/CAP_SYS_ADMIN beyond using an already-mounted filesystem.
- UI:NUser interaction, none
- No victim interaction is required beyond the attacker (or compromised local process) issuing unlink/rmdir/rename on paths they can already write; mounting 9p is an admin setup step, not per-exploit user action.
- S:UScope, unchanged
- The bug corrupts inode metadata in the 9p client kernel on the same host as the attacker process. It does not cross VM/host, container/host, or IOMMU security boundaries; virtio-9p guest triggers affect the guest kernel only.
- C:HConfidentiality impact, high
- drop_nlink() on i_nlink==0 emits WARN_ON then underflows the unsigned link counter to UINT_MAX, corrupting kernel inode metadata. Per kernel CVSS guidance, memory/metadata corruption that could be leveraged for further exploitation warrants High confidentiality.
- I:HIntegrity impact, high
- Unsigned i_nlink underflow corrupts inode lifecycle accounting, preventing correct removal tracking (s_remove_count) and desynchronizing dentry unlink from inode state. This class of VFS inode corruption can enable further integrity violations and is scored High when uncertain.
- A:HAvailability impact, high
- Each hit triggers kernel WARN_ON (easily spammed for denial-of-service via log flooding, and fatal where panic_on_warn is enabled) and leaves inodes with bogus nlink values that can provoke subsequent kernel faults during VFS operations on affected files.