CVE-2026-90173: smb: smbdirect: free completion queues with ib_free_cq()

Summary

The Linux kernel's SMB Direct (RDMA) transport code, which handles completion queues for SMB over RDMA connections, is affected. A use-after-free can occur when a completion arrives after the queue has already been torn down, potentially causing a kernel crash or memory corruption.

Summarized by anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5. Verify details against the original sources.

Read the original description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb: smbdirect: free completion queues with ib_free_cq() smbdirect_connection_destroy_qp() creates the send and receive completion queues with ib_alloc_cq_any(), which for IB_POLL_WORKQUEUE arms an internal completion handler that runs ib_cq_poll_work() on a workqueue. Tearing those CQs down with ib_destroy_cq() frees them without first cancelling that poll work. If the provider posts a completion late -- for example Soft-RoCE (rxe) posting an RNR error from rxe_receiver() after rdma_destroy_qp() -- the handler re-queues ib_cq_poll_work() on the already-freed CQ, and a follow-on access faults in rxe_req_notify_cq(). Use ib_free_cq(), which cancel_work_sync()es the poll work before freeing the CQ, so no completion handler can run against a freed queue. [ 1236.599526] ================================================================== [ 1236.602142] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ib_cq_poll_work+0xd0/0x1a0 [ 1236.605524] Read of size 8 at addr ffff888111865800 by task kworker/4:1H/82 [ 1236.609017] [ 1236.609270] CPU: 4 UID: 0 PID: 82 Comm: kworker/4:1H Not tainted 7.2.0-rc3-next-20260717-virtme #110 PREEMPT(lazy) [ 1236.609287] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.17.0-debian-1.17.0-1 04/01/2014 [ 1236.609498] Workqueue: ib-comp-wq ib_cq_poll_work [ 1236.609525] Call Trace: [ 1236.609536] <TASK> [ 1236.609545] __dump_stack+0x21/0x60 [ 1236.609562] dump_stack_lvl+0xc2/0x100 [ 1236.609573] print_address_description+0x77/0x200 [ 1236.609587] ? ib_cq_poll_work+0xd0/0x1a0 [ 1236.609597] print_report+0x58/0x70 [ 1236.609607] kasan_report+0x117/0x150 [ 1236.609623] ? ib_cq_poll_work+0xd0/0x1a0 [ 1236.609636] ? process_scheduled_works+0x954/0x1600 [ 1236.609650] ib_cq_poll_work+0xd0/0x1a0 [ 1236.609662] ? process_scheduled_works+0x954/0x1600 [ 1236.609674] process_scheduled_works+0xc22/0x1600 [ 1236.609698] ? __pfx_process_scheduled_works+0x10/0x10 [ 1236.609713] ? __pfx_assign_work+0x10/0x10 [ 1236.609726] ? lock_is_held_type+0x7b/0x110 [ 1236.609741] worker_thread+0x975/0xee0 [ 1236.609757] ? __pfx_do_raw_spin_lock+0x10/0x10 [ 1236.609775] ? __kthread_parkme+0x21e/0x260 [ 1236.609789] kthread+0x3a6/0x490 [ 1236.609800] ? __pfx_worker_thread+0x10/0x10 [ 1236.609809] ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 [ 1236.609820] ret_from_fork+0x55a/0xa20 [ 1236.609835] ? __pfx_ret_from_fork+0x10/0x10 [ 1236.609850] ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 [ 1236.609861] ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 [ 1236.609880] </TASK> [ 1236.609886] [ 1236.661292] Allocated by task 5076: [ 1236.662640] kasan_save_track+0x3e/0x80 [ 1236.663842] __kasan_kmalloc+0x72/0x90 [ 1236.664763] __kmalloc_noprof+0x2b0/0x5d0 [ 1236.665356] __ib_alloc_cq+0x284/0x1000 [ 1236.666573] __ib_alloc_cq_any+0x23e/0x340 [ 1236.668654] smbdirect_connection_create_qp+0x6f7/0x1070 [ 1236.669757] smbdirect_accept_connect_request+0x500/0x1ca0 [ 1236.672625] smbdirect_listen_rdma_event_handler+0x1655/0x1c50 [ 1236.673930] cma_listen_handler+0x1bf/0x260 [ 1236.674923] cma_cm_event_handler+0x128/0x380 [ 1236.676926] cma_ib_req_handler+0x2d3d/0x4de0 [ 1236.678368] cm_process_work+0xb0/0x530 [ 1236.680454] cm_queue_work_unlock+0xb1/0x230 [ 1236.681673] cm_work_handler+0x969f/0xdca0 [ 1236.682704] process_scheduled_works+0xc22/0x1600 [ 1236.683447] worker_thread+0x975/0xee0 [ 1236.685901] kthread+0x3a6/0x490 [ 1236.688164] ret_from_fork+0x55a/0xa20 [ 1236.689522] ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 [ 1236.690073] [ 1236.690378] Freed by task 5137: [ 1236.692242] kasan_save_track+0x3e/0x80 [ 1236.694272] kasan_save_free_info+0x40/0x50 [ 1236.695514] __kasan_slab_free+0x3a/0x60 [ 1236.696773] kfree+0x14e/0x4e0 [ 1236.697216] ib_destroy_cq_user+0x18d/0x250 [ 1236.699817] smbdirect_connection_destroy_qp+0xf2/0x280 [ 1236.702115] smbdirect_socket_destroy_sync+0x1607/0x2720 [ 1236.704062] smbdirect_socket_release+0x140/0x280 [ 1236.705286] smb_direct_free_transpor ---truncated---

Timeline

Sep 17, 2026, 4:07 PM UTCCVE published
Oct 19, 2026, 8:59 AM UTCRecord last updated

Affected versions

Linux Linux
From 6073eb3e31756d569c4853fb22724525739d0e0c · fixed in 8a953b1a47fffb71e70767bc1e914401e3c2f27f; From 6073eb3e31756d569c4853fb22724525739d0e0c · fixed in fe2c0cacbcff9d56c03b296f68f22151c4223b04
Linux Linux
7.1
KernelLinux
From 7.1.0 · fixed in 7.2.6

References 2

git.kernel.org

FAQ

Questions about CVE-2026-90173

What does this mean?

The kernel can free a completion queue that a provider still posts to after the queue pair is destroyed, such as Soft-RoCE (rxe) posting an RNR error. A later access to the freed queue can fault the kernel, reported as a page fault or a KASAN slab-use-after-free.Source: git.kernel.org

Am I affected, and how do I check?

Kernel versions from 7.1.0 up to, but not including, 7.2.6, in setups that use Kernel SMB Direct (smbdirect) connections with completion queues created by ib_alloc_cq_any() and IB_POLL_WORKQUEUE. To check a system, run uname -r to see the kernel version and confirm whether SMB Direct is in use, for example through an smbdirect mount.Source: git.kernel.org

What should I do about it?

Upgrade the Linux kernel to 7.2.6 or later, which contains the fix.Source: git.kernel.org

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: cve.now feed data