Linux Kernel up to 6.18.52/7.2.6 qla2xxx qla25xx_free_req_que/qla25xx_free_rsp_que ring race condition

CVSS Meta Temp Score
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CTI Interest Score
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5.2$0-$5k0.00+

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.18.52/7.2.6. It has been rated as problematic. Affected by this issue is the function qla25xx_free_req_que/qla25xx_free_rsp_que of the component qla2xxx. This manipulation of the argument ring causes race condition. This vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2026-97537. The attack is possible to be carried out remotely. No exploit exists. Upgrading the affected component is advised.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.18.52/7.2.6 and classified as problematic. Affected by this vulnerability is the function qla25xx_free_req_que/qla25xx_free_rsp_que of the component qla2xxx. The manipulation of the argument ring with an unknown input leads to a race condition vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-362. The product contains a code sequence that can run concurrently with other code, and the code sequence requires temporary, exclusive access to a shared resource, but a timing window exists in which the shared resource can be modified by another code sequence that is operating concurrently. As an impact it is known to affect integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: scsi: qla2xxx: Fix queue teardown NULL dma_free and bitmap locking qla25xx_free_req_que() and qla25xx_free_rsp_que() have two pre-existing bugs exposed on the error path of qla25xx_create_{req,rsp}_que(): 1. When dma_alloc_coherent() fails during queue creation, the error path calls the free function with req->ring / rsp->ring still NULL (from kzalloc). The unconditional dma_free_coherent() with a NULL cpu_addr is undefined behavior and can panic. 2. The free functions clear req_qid_map / rsp_qid_map under vport_lock, but the create functions protect the same bitmaps with mq_lock. This provides no mutual exclusion. Additionally, the create error path clears the bit and releases mq_lock before calling the free function, creating a window where another thread can allocate the same que_id and have its ha->req_q_map entry clobbered by the subsequent lockless NULL assignment in the free function. Fix by: - Guarding dma_free_coherent() with a NULL check on the ring pointer. - Using mq_lock (the lock held by all creators) in the free functions to atomically NULL the map entry and clear the bitmap bit. - Removing the now-redundant clear_bit blocks from the create error paths since the free functions handle it atomically.

It is possible to read the advisory at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2026-97537 since 09/24/2026. The exploitation appears to be easy. The attack can be launched remotely. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 09/25/2026).

Upgrading to version 6.18.53, 7.2.7 or 7.3-rc1 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch f35cb67f2092b49d7949065dd56895ed47238f22/94fc0c5b45de2bf3a691619bcfd10b9a49fc647e/34a40e0dff940ac5eba494a69b553ea571e24873 is able to eliminate this problem. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

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Productinfo

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CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 5.4
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 5.2

VulDB Base Score: 5.4
VulDB Temp Score: 5.2
VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv2info

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VulDB Base Score: 🔒
VulDB Temp Score: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Race condition
CWE: CWE-362
CAPEC: 🔒
ATT&CK: 🔒

Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Yes

Availability: 🔒
Status: Not defined
Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔒

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Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔒

Upgrade: Kernel 6.18.53/7.2.7/7.3-rc1
Patch: f35cb67f2092b49d7949065dd56895ed47238f22/94fc0c5b45de2bf3a691619bcfd10b9a49fc647e/34a40e0dff940ac5eba494a69b553ea571e24873

Timelineinfo

09/24/2026 CVE reserved
09/25/2026 +1 days Advisory disclosed
09/25/2026 +0 days VulDB entry created
09/25/2026 +0 days VulDB entry last update

Sourcesinfo

Vendor: kernel.org

Advisory: git.kernel.org
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-2026-97537 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2026-97537
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-409927

Entryinfo

Created: 09/25/2026 12:55
Changes: 09/25/2026 12:55 (60)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

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