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CVE-2026-74384
nvme-multipath: fix flex array size in struct nvme_ns_head
Published 2026-08-15 (2 months ago) by the Linux kernel CNA. Subsystem drivers/nvme. Debian urgency: not yet assigned.
What to do, per Debian release
Debian's own status for CVE-2026-74384 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 | fixed | 6.1.180-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 6.1.180-1. 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
struct nvme_ns_head contains a flexible array member, current_path[], which is indexed using the NUMA node ID: head->current_path[numa_node_id()] The structure is currently allocated as: size = sizeof(struct nvme_ns_head) + (num_possible_nodes() * sizeof(struct nvme_ns *)); head = kzalloc(size, GFP_KERNEL); This allocation assumes that NUMA node IDs are sequential and densely packed from 0 .. num_possible_nodes() - 1. While this assumption holds on many systems, it is not always true on some architectures such as powerpc. On some powerpc systems, NUMA node IDs can be sparse. For example: NUMA: NUMA node(s): 6 NUMA node0 CPU(s): 80-159 NUMA node8 CPU(s): 0-79 NUMA node252 CPU(s): NUMA node253 CPU(s): NUMA node254 CPU(s): NUMA node255 CPU(s): That is, the possible/online NUMA node IDs are: 0, 8, 252, 253, 254, 255 In this case: num_possible_nodes() = 6 So memory is allocated for only 6 entries in current_path[]. However, the array is later indexed using the actual NUMA node ID. As a result, accesses such as: head->current_path[8] or head->current_path[252] goes out of bounds, leading to the following KASAN splat: ================================================================== BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in nvme_mpath_revalidate_paths+0x22c/0x290 [nvme_core] Write of size 8 at addr c00020003bda35b8 by task kworker/u641:2/1997 CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 1997 Comm: kworker/u641:2 Not tainted 7.1.0-rc5-dirty #14 PREEMPT(lazy) Hardware name: 8335-GTH POWER9 0x4e1202 opal:skiboot-v6.5.3-35-g1851b2a06 PowerNV Workqueue: async async_run_entry_fn Call Trace: [c000200037fa7510] [c0000000021c23d4] dump_stack_lvl+0x88/0xdc (unreliable) [c000200037fa7540] [c0000000009fda90] print_report+0x22c/0x67c [c000200037fa7630] [c0000000009fd508] kasan_report+0x108/0x220 [c000200037fa7740] [c0000000009fff48] __asan_store8+0xe8/0x120 [c000200037fa7760] [c008000018e76474] nvme_mpath_revalidate_paths+0x22c/0x290 [nvme_core] [c000200037fa7800] [c008000018e6556c] nvme_update_ns_info+0x4a4/0x5e0 [nvme_core] [c000200037fa7a50] [c008000018e66270] nvme_alloc_ns+0x6d8/0x1a70 [nvme_core] [c000200037fa7c20] [c008000018e679fc] nvme_scan_ns+0x3f4/0x630 [nvme_core] [c000200037fa7d10] [c00000000031f22c] async_run_entry_fn+0x9c/0x3a0 [c000200037fa7db0] [c0000000002fa544] process_one_work+0x414/0xa10 [c000200037fa7ec0] [c0000000002fbf00] worker_thread+0x320/0x640 [c000200037fa7f80] [c00000000030d0f8] kthread+0x278/0x290 [c000200037fa7fe0] [c00000000000ded8] start_kernel_thread+0x14/0x18 Allocated by task 1997 on cpu 1 at 35.928317s: The buggy address belongs to the object at c00020003bda3000 which belongs to the cache kmalloc-rnd-15-2k of size 2048 The buggy address is located 16 bytes to the right of allocated 1448-byte region [c00020003bda3000, c00020003bda35a8) The buggy address belongs to the physical page: Memory state around the buggy address: c00020003bda3480: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 c00020003bda3500: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 >c00020003bda3580: 00 00 00 00 00 fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc ^ c00020003bda3600: fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc c00020003bda3680: fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc fc ================================================================== Fix this by allocating the flexible array using nr_node_ids instead of num_possible_nodes(). Since nr_node_ids represents the maximum possible NUMA node IDs, indexing current_path[] using numa_node_id() becomes safe even on systems with sparse node IDs.
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.
drivers/nvme/host/core.c
- What this is
- NVM EXPRESS DRIVERMAINTAINERS section matched on drivers/nvme/host/ · linux-nvme@lists.infradead.org · Supported
- Kernel module
- nvme_core
Check it on the machine
grep -w CONFIG_NVME_CORE /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 nvme_corePrints 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 code. Every release below compiles the affected file into the kernels it ships.
- bookworm, trixie, forky, sidb
- b
- built in on some flavours, a module on others
- Build switch
- CONFIG_NVME_CORE
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
- 9.8 critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsource recompute it - Attack vector
- network (AV:N)source
- EPSS
- 0.51%, higher than 42.5% of all CVEssource
- CISA KEV
- not listedthe KEV catalogue
- Debian urgency
- not yet assignedsource
- Subsystem
- drivers/nvme
Upstream fixes
The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source
| Introduced | Fixed in | Commit |
|---|---|---|
| 4.20 | 5.10.261 | 7e7b167e6561 |
| 4.20 | 5.15.212 | 316b5f116826 |
| 4.20 | 6.1.178 | 1d4131b5c982 |
| 4.20 | 6.6.145 | 9ffdd11bd6c9 |
| 4.20 | 6.12.97 | bde4d6eb53f7 |
| 4.20 | 6.18.40 | 140d6fff4ed2 |
| 4.20 | 7.1.5 | 7173a741fed7 |
| 4.20 | 7.2 | 001e57554de8 |
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:NAttack vector, network
- On IBM POWER cloud/enterprise hosts using NVMe-oF (TCP/RDMA/FC), a remote attacker on the storage fabric can deliver NVMe async namespace-changed completions that queue namespace rescans, driving nvme_scan_ns()→nvme_alloc_ns()→nvme_update_ns_info()→nvme_mpath_revalidate_paths() over the network-facing NVMe host transport.
- AC:LAttack complexity, low
- Once CONFIG_NVME_MULTIPATH is enabled on POWER systems with sparse NUMA IDs (e.g., nodes 0,8,252-255), indexing current_path[numa_node_id()] deterministically exceeds the num_possible_nodes()-sized allocation during boot scan, admin rescan, or multipath I/O without races or layout luck.
- PR:NPrivileges required, none
- Triggering the bug via remote NVMe async events or normal multipath block I/O requires no local account, CAP_SYS_ADMIN, or other host privileges; only an existing NVMe attachment (local PCIe or preconfigured fabric) on a vulnerable POWER NUMA topology.
- UI:NUser interaction, none
- No victim user action is required beyond routine system operation such as boot-time namespace discovery, background kworker rescans, or ordinary storage I/O on multipathed NVMe namespaces.
- S:UScope, unchanged
- The out-of-bounds slab write corrupts host kernel heap memory in the NVMe multipath driver, enabling kernel privilege escalation within the same security authority rather than crossing VM, container, or IOMMU boundaries.
- C:HConfidentiality impact, high
- KASAN reports an 8-byte slab-out-of-bounds write past the nvme_ns_head allocation; this heap corruption can overwrite adjacent kmalloc objects and be developed into arbitrary kernel memory disclosure primitives.
- I:HIntegrity impact, high
- The unchecked current_path[] index allows attacker-influenced 8-byte pointer writes beyond the allocation boundary, providing a heap corruption primitive suitable for arbitrary kernel writes and potential code execution.
- A:HAvailability impact, high
- The confirmed slab-out-of-bounds write in nvme_mpath_revalidate_paths() can oops/panic the kernel during namespace scan or multipath I/O on affected POWER servers, causing complete node unavailability.