Critical severity · published Jul 19, 2026
CVE-2026-63888
scsi: target: iscsi: Fix CRC overread and double-free in iscsit_handle_text_cmd()
9.8
CVSS
0.8%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
scsi: target: iscsi: Fix CRC overread and double-free in iscsit_handle_text_cmd()
Two latent bugs in the Text-phase handler, both present since the
original LIO integration in commit e48354ce078c ("iscsi-target: Add
iSCSI fabric support for target v4.1"):
1) DataDigest CRC buffer overread (4 bytes past text_in).
text_in is kzalloc()'d at ALIGN(payload_length, 4). rx_size is then
incremented by ISCSI_CRC_LEN to make room for the received DataDigest
in the iovec, but the same (now-bumped) rx_size is passed as the
buffer length to iscsit_crc_buf():
if (conn->conn_ops->DataDigest) {
...
rx_size += ISCSI_CRC_LEN;
}
...
if (conn->conn_ops->DataDigest) {
data_crc = iscsit_crc_buf(text_in, rx_size, 0, NULL);
iscsit_crc_buf() walks rx_size bytes of text_in with crc32c(), so
when DataDigest is negotiated it reads 4 bytes past the end of the
text_in allocation. KASAN reproduces this directly on the unpatched
mainline tree as slab-out-of-bounds in crc32c() called from the Text
PDU path. The OOB bytes feed crc32c() and are then compared against
the initiator-supplied checksum, so the value does not flow back to
the attacker, but the kernel does read past the buffer on every Text
PDU with DataDigest=CRC32C.
Fix by passing the actual padded payload length
(ALIGN(payload_length, 4)) that was used for the kzalloc().
2) Stale cmd->text_in_ptr re-free (double-free) on ERL>0 bad DataDigest
drop.
On DataDigest mismatch with ErrorRecoveryLevel > 0 the handler
silently drops the PDU and lets the initiator plug the CmdSN gap:
kfree(text_in);
return 0;
cmd->text_in_ptr still points at the freed buffer. The next Text
Request on the same ITT re-enters iscsit_setup_text_cmd(), which
unconditionally does
kfree(cmd->text_in_ptr);
cmd->text_in_ptr = NULL;
freeing the same pointer a second time. Session teardown via
iscsit_release_cmd() has the same shape and hits the same double-free
if the connection is dropped before a second Text Request arrives.
On an unmodified mainline tree the bug-1 CRC overread fires first on
the initial valid Text Request and perturbs the subsequent state, so
#4 was isolated by building a kernel with only the bug-1 hunk of this
patch applied plus temporary printk() observability around the three
relevant kfree() sites. The observability prints are not part of
this patch. On that build, a three-PDU Text Request sequence after
login produces two back-to-back splats:
BUG: KASAN: double-free in iscsit_setup_text_cmd+0x??
BUG: KASAN: double-free in iscsit_release_cmd+0x??
showing the same pointer freed in the ERL>0 drop path and again in
iscsit_setup_text_cmd() (next Text Request on the same ITT) and once
more in iscsit_release_cmd() (session teardown). On distro kernels
with CONFIG_SLAB_FREELIST_HARDENED=y (default) the double-free
becomes a remote kernel BUG(); on non-hardened kernels it corrupts
the slab freelist.
Fix by clearing cmd->text_in_ptr after the kfree() in the ERL>0 drop
path. With both hunks applied #4 is directly observable on the stock
tree without observability printks; fixing bug-1 alone would mask #4
less, not more, so the hunks are submitted together.
Both fixes are one-liners. The Text PDU state machine is unchanged and
the wire protocol is unaffected.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.8% · higher than 56% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
KE
Kernel · Linux
3.1 before 5.10.259; 5.11 before 5.15.210; 5.16 before 6.1.176; 6.2 before 6.6.143; 6.7 before 6.12.93; 6.13 before 6.18.35; +6 more · source: NVD
LI
Linux · Linux
e48354ce078c079996f89d715dfa44814b4eba01 before f7948af0dd03de84079dcd4dc215a69fd6fbb95d; e48354ce078c079996f89d715dfa44814b4eba01 before badf178b76b0690851df00f4ca9cf2eb8eb0f963; e48354ce078c079996f89d715dfa44814b4eba01 before 6e22a1cdcc8277af4acc43710577157b77a02c5d; e48354ce078c079996f89d715dfa44814b4eba01 before d3e9b79aa794f7a23e82de4d710e7d2df610e349; e48354ce078c079996f89d715dfa44814b4eba01 before ec9f19d52074a191ed1756ed4a7d39fff1a2085c; e48354ce078c079996f89d715dfa44814b4eba01 before 89c81d1228c00fa6dd91de6c1c5aa1ef8a7875e3; +3 more · source: vendor
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-63888
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-63888
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5118ea225fe63b44207ba88047e4866e1ea43812
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6e22a1cdcc8277af4acc43710577157b77a02c5d
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/778c2ab142c625a8a8afa570e0f9b7873f445d99
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/89c81d1228c00fa6dd91de6c1c5aa1ef8a7875e3
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/badf178b76b0690851df00f4ca9cf2eb8eb0f963
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d3e9b79aa794f7a23e82de4d710e7d2df610e349
More from Kernel
9.8
CVE-2025-39682
tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list
8.8
CVE-2026-53266
netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable
8.8
CVE-2013-6282
Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation Vulnerability
8.4
CVE-2022-0185
Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability
8.4
CVE-2013-2094
Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
