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CVE-2026-97536
scsi: qla2xxx: Fix use-after-free of qpair work on queue teardown
Published 2026-09-25 (24 days ago) by the Linux kernel CNA. Subsystem drivers/scsi. Debian urgency: not yet assigned.
What to do, per Debian release
Debian's own status for CVE-2026-97536 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 | vulnerable | 6.1.190-1 | No fix published anywhere yet, neither in Debian nor upstream for the series bookworm tracks. Watch the Debian tracker page for this CVE. Advisories for bookworm have historically landed a median of 23 days after publication. |
| Debian 13trixie | fixedDSA-6568-1 · 2026-10-16 · text | 6.12.113-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. DSA-6568-1 shipped the fix on 2026-10-16, in 6.12.113-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 14forky | fixed | 7.2.7-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.2.7-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian unstablesid | fixed | 7.2.7-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.2.7-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
The vulnerability
What the bug is
The response queue MSI-X handler qla2xxx_msix_rsp_q() schedules qla_do_work() via queue_work(ha->wq, &qpair->q_work). qla_do_work() dereferences the qpair (vha, rsp) and takes qpair->qp_lock. During teardown, qla2xxx_delete_qpair() deletes the response queue, which calls free_irq() in qla25xx_free_rsp_que(), and then frees the queue and the qpair. free_irq() waits for running hardirq handlers but does not cancel work already placed on ha->wq. A still-pending q_work then runs qla_do_work() against the freed qpair and response queue, causing a use-after-free. This is especially likely during full adapter teardown, where destroy_workqueue(ha->wq) forces pending work to run after the queue pairs have been freed. Flush the work item with cancel_work_sync() in qla25xx_free_rsp_que() after free_irq() has released the interrupt (so no new work can be queued) and before the response queue and qpair memory are freed (so the flushed handler still sees valid memory). Guard on rsp->qpair and ha->wq to match the INIT_WORK() condition and avoid operating on an uninitialized work_struct.
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/scsi/qla2xxx/qla_mid.c
- What this is
- QLOGIC QLA2XXX FC-SCSI DRIVERMAINTAINERS section matched on drivers/scsi/qla2xxx/ · linux-scsi@vger.kernel.org · Supported
- Kernel module
- qla2xxx
Check it on the machine
grep -w CONFIG_SCSI_QLA_FC /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 qla2xxxPrints 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.
- bookwormMnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64, armhf/armmp, armhf/armmp-lpae, armhf/rt/armmp
- trixieMnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64, armel/rpi, armhf/armmp, armhf/armmp-lpae, armhf/rt/armmp, s390x/s390x
- forky, sidMnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64, armhf/armmp, armhf/armmp-lpae, s390x/s390x
- M
- a module where it is built at all; some flavours do not build it
- Build switch
- CONFIG_SCSI_QLA_FC
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
- 2026-09-25 (24 days ago)source
- CVSS
- 7.5 high
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:Hsource recompute it - Attack vector
- adjacent network (AV:A)source
- EPSS
- 0.27%, higher than 18.0% of all CVEssource
- CISA KEV
- not listedthe KEV catalogue
- Debian urgency
- not yet assignedsource
- Subsystem
- drivers/scsi
Upstream fixes
The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source
| Introduced | Fixed in | Commit |
|---|---|---|
| 2.6.31 | 6.12.112 | dd6c14db0dbb |
| 2.6.31 | 6.18.53 | 1710a69fd74d |
| 2.6.31 | 7.2.7 | f1f4d1cb93ee |
| 2.6.31 | 7.3 | 19788a55cab6 |
Debian advisories
| Advisory | Date | Shipped to | Debian |
|---|---|---|---|
| DSA-6568-1 | 2026-10-16 | trixie 6.12.113-1 | 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:AAttack vector, adjacent network
- qla2xxx_msix_rsp_q() queue_work()s &qpair->q_work when firmware posts FC/FCoE response-queue IOCBs (STATUS_TYPE/FCP_RSP, LOGINOUT, CT/ELS); qla25xx_free_rsp_que() is reached from qla2xxx_delete_qpair() via qla25xx_delete_rsp_que(). IS_CNA_CAPABLE QLogic CNAs speak FCoE on the SAN fabric, an L2/adjacent transport not a routable IP service.
- AC:HAttack complexity, high
- The UAF fires only when qla25xx_free_rsp_que() free_irq()s then kfree()s rsp and qla2xxx_delete_qpair() kfree()s the qpair while q_work is still queued. Those run from qla24xx_vport_delete() (fc_vport sysfs S_IWUSR) or qla2x00_free_device() after scsi_remove_host, a victim qpair/adapter teardown a fabric peer cannot initiate.
- PR:NPrivileges required, none
- qla2xxx_msix_rsp_q() handles unauthenticated Fibre Channel/FCoE firmware completions in IRQ context with no capable() or Linux credential check, so a SAN N_Port needs no account on the victim. The teardown path is victim-side and does not grant the fabric attacker host privileges.
- UI:NUser interaction, none
- qla2xxx_msix_rsp_q() schedules q_work automatically on response-queue interrupts. Concurrent qpair teardown in qla24xx_vport_delete() or qla2x00_remove_one()->qla2x00_free_device() is driver/NPIV/PCI lifecycle, not a victim mount or open of attacker-supplied media.
- S:UScope, unchanged
- kfree of struct qla_qpair and struct rsp_que and the later qla_do_work() use-after-free stay inside the host kernel qla2xxx driver and do not cross a VM, IOMMU, or other separate security-authority boundary.
- C:HConfidentiality impact, high
- After kfree(qpair) and kfree(rsp), qla_do_work() container_of()s the freed qpair, loads qpair->vha and qpair->rsp, then qla24xx_process_response_queue() reads the dangling rsp ring/IOCBs. That kernel heap use-after-free enables disclosure of reused object contents.
- I:HIntegrity impact, high
- qla_do_work() takes spin_lock_irqsave(&qpair->qp_lock) on the freed qpair and qla24xx_process_response_queue() writes rsp->ring_index and completion state through dangling rsp/req pointers, yielding a kernel write and control-flow hijack primitive.
- A:HAvailability impact, high
- Use-after-free of qpair from qla_do_work() produces a kernel oops or panic even when not fully exploited. qla2x00_free_device() calls destroy_workqueue(ha->wq) after qla25xx_delete_queues() has already kfree'd the qpairs, forcing pending q_work to run against freed memory.