CVE-2026-99019

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: scsi: ch: Do not keep references to data transfer element devices ch_readconfig() looks up the scsi_device of every data transfer element whose SCSI id the changer reports in READ ELEMENT STATUS, and stores it in ch->dt[]. scsi_device_lookup() takes a reference, and nothing ever drops it: ch_destroy() frees the array with kfree(). ch->dt[] is read nowhere else - it only supplies the vendor, model and revision printed in the same loop. Once such a drive is removed, its scsi_device can never be released. It stays on the host's device list at its address, so a new device there is refused by anything that walks the list - target_core_pscsi reports "scsi_device_get() failed for H:C:T:L" - and the low-level driver's module can no longer be unloaded. Only a reboot recovers. It shows with any changer that reports its drives' ids; with the mhvtl virtual library (IBM 3573-TL personality), each create and remove of a library with four drives leaves four references behind, counted by the module's use count in lsmod. With ch not bound the count is unchanged, and with this patch applied it is unchanged too. Drop the reference as soon as the name has been printed, and remove the now unused dt[] array. That also removes the array leaked when ch_probe() fails after ch_readconfig(). The same leak was reported with an RFC patch in 2022, which was not merged.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-10-23
Last modified 2026-10-23
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 2.6.13 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.58, 7.2.11, 7.3 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 2.6.13
Fixed in
✓ 6.6.160 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.114 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.58 6.18.x ✓ 7.2.11 7.2.x ✓ 7.3

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-99019?

    CVE-2026-99019 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 2.6.13 onward and has been patched in 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.58 and others. CVE-2026-99019 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-99019?

    Yes. CVE-2026-99019 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.58 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 2.6.13 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-99019 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-99019 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.