CVE-2026-98227

What the bug is

msb_init_disk() creates the per-card ordered workqueue msb->io_queue with alloc_ordered_workqueue(). It is torn down with destroy_workqueue() only on the init error path; msb_remove() never destroys it. msb_stop() merely flushes the queue, and neither msb_data_clear() nor put_disk() free it. As a result every card insert/remove cycle leaks the workqueue and its kworker, exhausting kernel memory over repeated cycles. Destroy the workqueue in msb_remove() after the disk has been removed and the queue drained.

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/memstick/core/ms_block.c

What this is

SONY MEMORYSTICK SUBSYSTEMMAINTAINERS section matched on drivers/memstick/ · linux-mmc@vger.kernel.org · Maintained

Kernel module

none to look for. The file would have gone into ms_block, and Debian does not compile it into that module, so finding ms_block in lsmod would say nothing about this CVE.

Check it on the machine

grep -wE 'CONFIG_MEMSTICK|CONFIG_MS_BLOCK' /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.

Show whether Debian builds this, per release

Debian does not build this code. In 4 releases below, every kernel flavour Debian publishes has the switch off, so the vulnerable file is compiled into no kernel binary Debian ships.

• bookworm, trixie, forky, sidn

n

not enabled on any flavour - this release does not build the code

Build switches

CONFIG_MEMSTICK, CONFIG_MS_BLOCK

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

2026-10-06 (13 days ago)source

CVSS

no vector published, unrated

Attack vector

not published

EPSS

0.18%, higher than 7.1% of all CVEssource

CISA KEV

not listedthe KEV catalogue

Debian urgency

not yet assignedsource

Subsystem

drivers/memstick

Upstream fixes

The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source

Introduced	Fixed in	Commit
3.12	6.1.189	0ff795163f37
3.12	6.6.158	19c3da6621a2
3.12	6.12.112	9a2e7cdc0880
3.12	6.18.54	6611f78ec3fd
3.12	7.2.8	f222bb8c30cf
3.12	7.3	90af7fde083e

Debian advisories