Linux Kernel up to 7.2.3 nfsd nfsd4_end_grace grace_ended double free

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 7.2.3. It has been rated as very critical. Affected by this vulnerability is the function nfsd4_end_grace of the component nfsd. The manipulation of the argument grace_ended leads to double free. This vulnerability is traded as CVE-2026-93221. It is possible to initiate the attack remotely. There is no exploit available. Upgrading the affected component is advised.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 7.2.3. It has been rated as very critical. This issue affects the function nfsd4_end_grace of the component nfsd. The manipulation of the argument grace_ended with an unknown input leads to a double free vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-415. The product calls free() twice on the same memory address, potentially leading to modification of unexpected memory locations. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfsd: convert nfsd_net boolean flags to unsigned long flags word nfsd_net contains several boolean fields that are accessed from concurrent contexts without serialization. In particular, nfsd4_end_grace() guards its drain path with a plain bool: if (nn->grace_ended) return; nn->grace_ended = true; The read and the write are independent, and nothing in struct nfsd_net serializes them. At least two contexts can reach this code with no lock held: laundromat path laundry_wq kworker nfs4_laundromat() nfsd4_end_grace() RECLAIM_COMPLETE path nfsd compound kthread nfsd4_reclaim_complete() inc_reclaim_complete() nfsd4_end_grace() Both callers can observe grace_ended == false on different CPUs, both store true, and both proceed into nfsd4_record_grace_done(), which invokes the active client_tracking_ops->grace_done callback. For tracking ops that drain reclaim_str_hashtbl (legacy_tracking_ops via nfsd4_recdir_purge_old, and the cld v1+ ops via nfsd4_cld_grace_done), grace_done calls nfs4_release_reclaim(), which walks every bucket of reclaim_str_hashtbl with no lock and calls nfs4_remove_reclaim_record() (list_del + kfree) on each entry. Two concurrent walkers corrupt the list and double-free every nfs4_client_reclaim. A concurrent nfsd4_find_reclaim_client() iterating the same bucket reads through freed memory. A third call site exists in nfs4_state_start_net() on the skip_grace startup path, but it runs under nfsd_mutex before any client has connected and before the laundromat's first delayed work fires, so it cannot race with the two callers above. Replace the scattered boolean fields in nfsd_net with a single unsigned long flags word and an enum nfsd_net_flag for the bit positions. The grace_ended race is fixed by using test_and_set_bit(), which is atomic on all architectures. The remaining flags (grace_end_forced, in_grace, somebody_reclaimed, track_reclaim_completes, nfsd_net_up, lockd_up) are converted to use test_bit/set_bit/clear_bit for consistency. This avoids sub-word cmpxchg issues on architectures like Hexagon that only support word-sized atomic operations.

The advisory is shared at git.kernel.org. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2026-93221 since 09/17/2026. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be initiated remotely. Technical details are known, but no exploit is available. The price for an exploit might be around USD $5k-$25k at the moment (estimation calculated on 09/24/2026).

Upgrading to version 7.2.4 or 7.3-rc1 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch df5922fe09a8131c793ffa86adf204999b0470f8/11a5fe42e1811f793e04ef885b639ea7668f439d is able to eliminate this problem. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

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Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 7.2.0
• 7.2.1
• 7.2.2
• 7.2.3

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

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Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

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