CVE-2026-72491

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/9p: fix race condition on rdma->state in trans_rdma.c The rdma->state field is modified without holding req_lock in both recv_done() and p9_cm_event_handler(), while rdma_request() accesses the same field under the req_lock spinlock. This inconsistent locking creates a race condition: - recv_done() running in softirq completion context sets rdma->state = P9_RDMA_FLUSHING without acquiring req_lock - p9_cm_event_handler() modifies rdma->state at multiple points (ADDR_RESOLVED, ROUTE_RESOLVED, ESTABLISHED, CLOSED) without req_lock - rdma_request() uses spin_lock_irqsave(&rdma->req_lock, flags) to protect the read-modify-write of rdma->state The race can cause lost state transitions: recv_done() or the CM event handler could set state to FLUSHING/CLOSED while rdma_request() is concurrently checking or modifying state under the lock, leading to the FLUSHING transition being silently overwritten by CLOSING. This corrupts the connection state machine and can cause use-after-free on RDMA request objects during teardown. Fix by adding req_lock protection to all rdma->state modifications in recv_done() and p9_cm_event_handler(), matching the pattern already used in rdma_request(). Use spin_lock_irqsave/spin_unlock_irqrestore in the CM event handler since it can race with recv_done() which runs in softirq context. Tested with a kernel module that races two threads (simulating rdma_request and recv_done/CM handler) on rdma->state with proper locking: 5.5M+ FLUSHING writes over 27M iterations with 0 lost transitions.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-08-15
Last modified 2026-08-15
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 4.4.185, 4.9.185, 4.14.132, 4.19.57, 4.20 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.10.261, 5.15.212, 6.1.178, 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2-rc1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 4.4.185 ≥ 4.9.185 ≥ 4.14.132 ≥ 4.19.57 ≥ 4.20
Fixed in
✓ 5.10.261 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.212 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.178 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.145 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.97 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.40 6.18.x ✓ 7.1.5 7.1.x ✓ 7.2-rc1

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-72491?

    CVE-2026-72491 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.4.185 onward and has been patched in 5.10.261, 5.15.212, 6.1.178 and others. CVE-2026-72491 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-72491?

    Yes. CVE-2026-72491 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.261, 5.15.212, 6.1.178 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.4.185 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-72491 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-72491 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.