CVE-2026-90412 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE • 09/17/2026
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
nvmet: fix return status of RMI log page on allocation failure
nvmet_execute_get_log_page_rmi() leaves 'status' holding NVME_SC_SUCCESS (set by the successful nvmet_req_find_ns() call) when the kzalloc() for the log buffer fails. It then jumps to the out label and completes the request with a success status, so the host is told the command succeeded while no data was transferred.
Initialize 'status' to NVME_SC_INTERNAL, matching the smart log handler, so an allocation failure is reported as an internal error.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/17/2026
The vulnerability identified in the Linux kernel's NVMe target subsystem involves a logic error within the nvmet_execute_get_log_page_rmi function that results in incorrect status reporting to the host system during memory allocation failures. This specific flaw occurs when the subsystem attempts to retrieve Remote Management Interface (RMI) log pages, which are critical for monitoring and managing NVMe devices over network interfaces such as RoCE or iWARP. The core technical issue stems from improper initialization of the status variable used to track command execution outcomes. Specifically, prior to attempting memory allocation via kzalloc(), the function successfully identifies the namespace using nvmet_req_find_ns() and sets the status variable to NVME_SC_SUCCESS. When the subsequent call to allocate a buffer for the log page data fails due to insufficient kernel memory or other resource constraints, the code does not update this status variable before jumping to an error handling label. Consequently, the function completes the request by signaling success to the initiator host, even though no actual data was transferred because the allocation failed.
This discrepancy between the reported command outcome and the actual operational state constitutes a significant reliability issue within storage networking environments. By reporting NVME_SC_SUCCESS when the operation effectively did not complete as intended, the kernel misleads the host controller into believing that valid log page data has been received. This can lead to downstream processing errors on the initiator side, where software may attempt to parse uninitialized or null memory regions expecting structured log data. Such behavior violates the expected contract of the NVMe specification regarding error handling and status reporting during resource exhaustion scenarios. The lack of proper error propagation means that administrators and automated monitoring tools relying on these logs for health checks will receive false positives, potentially masking underlying infrastructure issues such as memory pressure or configuration errors within the target system.
From a classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-252, which describes unchecked return values leading to incorrect program behavior, specifically in contexts where failure conditions are not properly handled and result in misleading success states. It also relates to CWE-754, an improper check for unusual or exceptional conditions, as the code fails to validate that critical resource allocation succeeded before proceeding with command completion logic. In terms of attack surface and operational impact, while this is primarily a reliability bug rather than a direct security exploit vector like buffer overflow, it can contribute to denial-of-service scenarios by causing host-side software crashes or infinite loops if they rely on the presence of specific log data that was never delivered. Furthermore, in high-availability storage clusters, such inconsistencies can lead to split-brain conditions or incorrect failover decisions based on corrupted telemetry data.
The mitigation implemented addresses this flaw by initializing the status variable to NVME_SC_INTERNAL at the beginning of the function execution path, mirroring the approach used in similar handlers like the SMART log handler. This ensures that if any subsequent step fails, including memory allocation, the default state reflects an internal error rather than a success condition. To fully remediate this issue and prevent recurrence, developers should enforce strict initialization practices for status variables in all NVMe target command execution functions to ensure they reflect failure states by default unless explicitly overridden by successful operations. Additionally, implementing comprehensive unit tests that simulate memory allocation failures can help verify that the subsystem correctly propagates error codes back to the host under resource-constrained conditions. System administrators should also monitor kernel logs for internal errors related to NVMe target commands as an indicator of potential stability issues within their storage infrastructure.