CVE-2026-98342
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dmaengine: wait for RCU readers before releasing dma_device dma_issue_pending_all() walks the dma_device_list with list_for_each_entry_rcu() under rcu_read_lock(). dma_device_release() unlinks the device with list_del_rcu() and then calls device->device_release() (which in many drivers, such as plx_dma.c, directly calls kfree()). Because there is no grace period between unlinking the device and freeing it, concurrent RCU readers in dma_issue_pending_all() can access the device after it has been freed. The lockless walk originally relied on clients holding a dmaengine reference to pin the provider module, and therefore the device, for as long as they might traverse the list. Commit 8ad342a86359 ("dmaengine: Add reference counting to dma_device struct") decoupled the dma_device lifetime from the module reference, so the device can now be released while a reader is still walking the list. Add synchronize_rcu() before the device is freed, so RCU readers are guaranteed to have finished. Keep it unconditional: providers that do not implement device_release() free the device themselves once dma_async_device_unregister() returns. This call will delay for a grace period with dma_list_mutex held, which is safe and only teardown path is delayed.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
2.6.29
and later are affected. Fixed in
5.10.271,
5.15.222,
6.1.189,
6.6.158,
6.12.112,
6.18.54,
7.2.8,
7.3-rc4
and their respective stable series.
References
8 totalFrequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-98342?
CVE-2026-98342 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 2.6.29 onward and has been patched in 5.10.271, 5.15.222, 6.1.189 and others. CVE-2026-98342 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
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Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-98342?
Yes. CVE-2026-98342 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.271, 5.15.222, 6.1.189 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 2.6.29 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-98342 actively exploited?
No. CVE-2026-98342 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.