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CVE-2026-90294
IB/isert: delay the final Login Response until the session is registered
Published 2026-09-17 (31 days ago) by the Linux kernel CNA. Subsystem drivers/infiniband. Debian urgency: not yet assigned.
What to do, per Debian release
Debian's own status for CVE-2026-90294 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-4841-1 · 2026-10-17 · text | 6.1.190-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. DLA-4841-1 shipped the fix on 2026-10-17, in 6.1.190-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 13trixie | fixedDSA-6528-1 · 2026-09-29 · text | 6.12.111-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. DSA-6528-1 shipped the fix on 2026-09-29, in 6.12.111-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 14forky | fixed | 7.2.6-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.2.6-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian unstablesid | fixed | 7.2.6-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.2.6-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 12bookworm · linux-6.12 | fixedDLA-4817-1 · 2026-10-04 · text | 6.12.111-1~deb12u1 | Update the kernel and reboot. DLA-4817-1 shipped the fix on 2026-10-04, in 6.12.111-1~deb12u1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
The vulnerability
What the bug is
isert_put_login_tx() puts the final Login Response on the wire before __transport_register_session(), which iscsi_post_login_handler() reaches only after iscsi_target_do_login() returns. An initiator that issues a SCSI command as soon as it sees that response can have it executed against an se_session whose se_tpg is still NULL, and the ib-comp-wq worker oopses on the NULL dereference. Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc000000000f: 0000 [#1] SMP KASAN NOPTI KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000078-0x000000000000007f] CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 178 Comm: kworker/0:1H Not tainted 7.2.0-rc5-V2CTL-gf5098b6bae76 #10 PREEMPT(lazy) Hardware name: QEMU Ubuntu 24.04 PC v2 (i440FX + PIIX, arch_caps fix, 1996), BIOS 1.16.3-debian-1.16.3-2 04/01/2014 Workqueue: ib-comp-wq ib_cq_poll_work RIP: 0010:target_submit+0xbe/0x390 Code: fa 48 c1 ea 03 80 3c 02 00 0f 85 89 02 00 00 48 b8 00 00 00 00 00 fc ff df 4d 8b 64 24 18 49 8d 7c 24 78 48 89 fa 48 c1 ea 03 <80> 3c 02 00 0f 85 5a 02 00 00 48 8d 7b 78 4d 8b 6c 24 78 48 b8 00 RSP: 0018:ffff8881058cfa78 EFLAGS: 00010206 RAX: dffffc0000000000 RBX: ffff88810c78c6f0 RCX: ffffffff964bb363 RDX: 000000000000000f RSI: 00000000fffffe00 RDI: 0000000000000078 RBP: 1ffff11020b19f52 R08: 0000000000000001 R09: ffffed1020b19f52 R10: 0000000000000003 R11: ffff88810596c000 R12: 0000000000000000 R13: ffff88810c61b000 R14: ffff88810c6a3400 R15: ffff88810c61b044 FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff8881822b2000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00007f1f1b83c000 CR3: 000000006fe72001 CR4: 0000000000770ef0 PKRU: 55555554 Call Trace: <TASK> ? __pfx__raw_spin_lock_bh+0x10/0x10 ? __pfx_target_submit+0x10/0x10 ? mutex_lock+0x81/0xe0 ? __pfx_mutex_lock+0x10/0x10 ? iscsit_execute_cmd+0x650/0x850 iscsit_sequence_cmd+0x186/0x3d0 iscsit_process_scsi_cmd+0x87/0x300 isert_recv_done+0x1002/0x2390 ? __pfx_isert_recv_done+0x10/0x10 ? rxe_poll_cq+0x253/0x3d0 ? finish_task_switch.isra.0+0x1dc/0xa70 __ib_process_cq+0xe1/0x390 ib_cq_poll_work+0x46/0x150 process_one_work+0x633/0x1030 ? assign_work+0x11d/0x370 worker_thread+0x45b/0xd10 ? __pfx_worker_thread+0x10/0x10 ? __pfx_worker_thread+0x10/0x10 kthread+0x2c6/0x3b0 ? recalc_sigpending+0x15c/0x1e0 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 ret_from_fork+0x36e/0x5a0 ? __pfx_ret_from_fork+0x10/0x10 ? __switch_to+0x572/0xdd0 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 </TASK> Modules linked in: ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- Delay the final Login Response instead. isert_get_rx_pdu() runs from iscsi_target_rx_thread() after conn->rx_login_comp, completed by iscsi_post_login_handler() after __transport_register_session(); iscsi-TCP and cxgbit already take PDUs from that thread, isert alone does not. The buffers are still posted first, so the initiator's first command does not meet an empty receive queue and nothing depends on RNR flow control, and the header and payload live in isert_conn, not in the struct iscsi_login that iscsi_target_nego_release() frees first. Over rxe, 400 login cycles per run, the oops appeared in 10 of 20 unpatched runs and in none of 20 runs with this patch. An initiator that never waits is handled by the next patch. Not tested: iWARP, discovery sessions over iSER, and real HCAs.
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/infiniband/ulp/isert/ib_isert.c
drivers/infiniband/ulp/isert/ib_isert.h
- What this is
- ISCSI EXTENSIONS FOR RDMA (ISER) TARGETMAINTAINERS section matched on drivers/infiniband/ulp/isert · linux-rdma@vger.kernel.org · Supported
- Kernel module
- ib_isert
Check it on the machine
grep -wE 'CONFIG_INFINIBAND|CONFIG_INFINIBAND_ISERT' /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 ib_isertPrints 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, sid, bookworm · linux-6.12Mnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64
- M
- a module where it is built at all; some flavours do not build it
- Build switches
- CONFIG_INFINIBAND, CONFIG_INFINIBAND_ISERT
- Reads as
- all on means the file is compiled; any one off means it is not.
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
- 2026-09-17 (31 days ago)source
- CVSS
- 7.5 high
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:Hsource recompute it - Attack vector
- network (AV:N)source
- EPSS
- 0.68%, higher than 51.3% of all CVEssource
- CISA KEV
- not listedthe KEV catalogue
- Debian urgency
- not yet assignedsource
- Subsystem
- drivers/infiniband
Upstream fixes
The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source
| Introduced | Fixed in | Commit |
|---|---|---|
| 3.10 | 5.10.270 | e148dbac4330 |
| 3.10 | 5.15.221 | a18fb8d540b3 |
| 3.10 | 6.1.188 | 0d2efc355982 |
| 3.10 | 6.6.157 | f84e9adf4d9f |
| 3.10 | 6.12.110 | 11694889c4ba |
| 3.10 | 6.18.52 | a6c19af05c17 |
| 3.10 | 7.2.6 | 4397ea31e3b0 |
| 3.10 | 7.3 | 464f5afa92d0 |
Debian advisories
| Advisory | Date | Shipped to | Debian |
|---|---|---|---|
| DLA-4841-1 | 2026-10-17 | bookworm 6.1.190-1 | tracker |
| DLA-4817-1 | 2026-10-04 | bookworm 6.12.111-1~deb12u1 | tracker |
| DSA-6528-1 | 2026-09-29 | trixie 6.12.111-1 | 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:NAttack vector, network
- The trigger is an ISCSI_OP_SCSI_CMD RDMA SEND handled by isert_recv_done after isert_put_login_tx already posted the final Login Response; those PDUs arrive from a remote initiator on the QP accepted by isert_connect_request after rdma_listen() in isert_setup_id, which binds RoCEv2 (UDP/IP) or iWARP (TCP).
- AC:LAttack complexity, low
- The initiator completes login so isert_put_login_tx posts RX buffers and sends the Login Response, then immediately sends a SCSI command that isert_recv_done runs on ib-comp-wq before iscsi_post_login_handler calls __transport_register_session; the attacker controls both sides of that window and can retry.
- PR:NPrivileges required, none
- login->login_complete is set in iscsi_target_do_login CSG1 only after iscsi_conn_authenticated(); when tpg_attrib.authentication is 0, iscsi_handle_authentication() accepts AuthMethod=None with no secret, and generate_node_acls demo mode lets core_tpg_check_initiator_node_acl() admit a client-asserted InitiatorName.
- UI:NUser interaction, none
- The attacker is the iSER initiator that finishes login and posts the SCSI command on its own QP; no local user or administrator action is required.
- S:UScope, unchanged
- The NULL se_sess->se_tpg load in target_submit() oopses the same kernel that runs ib_isert; no VM, IOMMU, or sandbox boundary is crossed.
- C:NConfidentiality impact, none
- transport_alloc_session() kmem_cache_zallocs se_session so se_tpg stays NULL until __transport_register_session(); target_submit() only loads se_tpg->se_tpg_tfo and takes a GPF, with no out-of-bounds read.
- I:NIntegrity impact, none
- The fault is a NULL load of se_cmd->se_sess->se_tpg in target_submit(); this path does not write kernel memory or reuse a freed object.
- A:HAvailability impact, high
- KASAN reports a null-ptr-deref in target_submit() on ib-comp-wq (ib_cq_poll_work → isert_recv_done → iscsit_process_scsi_cmd → iscsit_execute_cmd), producing a kernel oops.