CVE-2026-90201
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: page_pool: fix UAF in __page_pool_release_netmem_dma on xa_cmpxchg race This bug was discovered while testing the hns3 driver under channel reconfiguration (`ethtool -L` / `ethtool -G`) with iperf3 traffic on arm64. The race is intermittently triggered when page_pool_destroy() runs page_pool_scrub() concurrently with page return via page_pool_put_netmem() on a different CPU. A WARN in page_pool_clear_pp_info() surfaced the dangling DMA index bits left by the cmpxchg loser, which led to the investigation. page_pool_scrub() iterates pool->dma_mapped via xa_for_each() with no page ref held. __page_pool_release_netmem_dma() currently reads and writes netmem fields (dma_addr, DMA index bits in pp_magic) after xa_cmpxchg() returns. The unref path calls put_page() unconditionally regardless of the cmpxchg outcome; when it loses the cmpxchg, it still frees the page before the scrub winner finishes these netmem accesses, so scrub touches a freed page -- a Use-After-Free. Fix this by splitting the DMA release into two functions: 1. __page_pool_unmap_netmem_dma() caches dma_addr before xa_cmpxchg(), does the cmpxchg to remove the DMA mapping, and calls dma_unmap on the cached address. It never touches netmem fields after the cmpxchg, making it safe for the scrub path which holds no page ref. 2. __page_pool_release_netmem_dma() wraps the above and additionally clears dma_addr and DMA index bits in netmem fields. This is safe only when the caller holds a page ref, so it is used by the return path (page_pool_return_netmem). The scrub path calls __page_pool_unmap_netmem_dma() directly; the return path calls __page_pool_release_netmem_dma().
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
6.12.34,
6.15.3,
6.16
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.12.110,
6.18.52,
7.2.6,
7.3-rc1
and their respective stable series.
References
4 totalFrequently asked questions
-
What is CVE-2026-90201?
CVE-2026-90201 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.12.34 onward and has been patched in 6.12.110, 6.18.52, 7.2.6 and others. CVE-2026-90201 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
-
Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-90201?
Yes. CVE-2026-90201 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.110, 6.18.52, 7.2.6 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 6.12.34 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
-
Is CVE-2026-90201 actively exploited?
No. CVE-2026-90201 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.