CVE-2026-90138

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: vsock: don't check the listener's sk_err in vsock_accept() Syzbot reported an issue which can be reproduced with these steps: r0 = socket(AF_VSOCK, SOCK_STREAM, 0) bind(r0, {VMADDR_CID_ANY, PORT}) connect(r0, {VMADDR_CID_LOCAL, PORT}) -> -1, EPROTO (self-connect) listen(r0, backlog) -> 0 r1 = socket(AF_VSOCK, SOCK_STREAM, 0) connect(r1, {VMADDR_CID_LOCAL, PORT}) -> 0 accept(r0) -> -1, EPROTO (stale sk_err) Basically, it creates a socket (r0) and triggers a self-connect after binding it. This self-connect fails with EPROTO because it loops back to r0 while the socket is still in the TCP_SYN_SENT state, causing it to be incorrectly dispatched to the connecting-client path. The unexpected packet type encountered there sets sk_err to EPROTO. After that, it invokes a listen() call on the same socket. This listen() call succeeds because the kernel's listening path never inspects or clears sk_err. Then, a new socket (r1) is created as a normal client and connects to r0. However, vsock_accept() rejects this incoming connection because the listener's sk_err still holds the EPROTO error from the earlier failed self-connect. This rejection causes the child socket created for r1's connection to never be freed on virtio or hyperv transports; only the VMCI transport implements pending_work to revisit and clean up a rejected socket. For a non-blocking connect(), vsock_connect() may return -EINPROGRESS immediately, and vsock_connect_timeout() can later set sk->sk_err asynchronously. Since no vsock transport ever sets sk_err on a socket while it is in TCP_LISTEN state, checking it in vsock_accept() serves no purpose and only carries forward errors left behind by earlier, unrelated connection attempts on the same socket. Remove the checks so accept() no longer rejects valid incoming connections because of a stale error, which also avoids the resource leak described above.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-09-17
Last modified 2026-09-17
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 3.9 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.12.110, 6.18.52, 7.2.6, 7.3-rc1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 3.9
Fixed in
✓ 6.12.110 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.52 6.18.x ✓ 7.2.6 7.2.x ✓ 7.3-rc1

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-90138?

    CVE-2026-90138 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 3.9 onward and has been patched in 6.12.110, 6.18.52, 7.2.6 and others. CVE-2026-90138 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-90138?

    Yes. CVE-2026-90138 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.110, 6.18.52, 7.2.6 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 3.9 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-90138 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-90138 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.