Critical severity · published Aug 15, 2026
CVE-2026-72085
scsi: xen: scsiback: Free unsubmitted command instead of double-putting it
9.3
CVSS
0.2%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
scsi: xen: scsiback: Free unsubmitted command instead of double-putting it
scsiback_get_pend_req() obtains a command tag and returns a vscsibk_pend
whose embedded se_cmd has only been memset to 0, so its cmd_kref is 0;
the se_cmd is initialised (kref_init() via target_init_cmd()) only
later, in scsiback_cmd_exec(), on the successful VSCSIIF_ACT_SCSI_CDB
path. The two error paths in scsiback_do_cmd_fn() taken before the
command is submitted -- a failed scsiback_gnttab_data_map() and an
unknown ring_req.act -- call
transport_generic_free_cmd(&pending_req->se_cmd, 0), which kref_put()s a
refcount of 0. That underflows it ("refcount_t: underflow;
use-after-free") and, as the release function is not run, leaks the
command tag.
Impact: a pvSCSI guest can leak every command tag of a LUN's session,
stopping the LUN, by submitting requests with a bad grant reference or
an unknown request type; under panic_on_warn the refcount underflow
panics the host.
Add a helper that just returns the tag with target_free_tag() and sends
the error response. It frees the tag while the v2p reference still pins
the session, and snapshots the response fields beforehand because
freeing the tag can let another ring reuse the pending_req slot.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Scope
Changed
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.2% · higher than 8% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
LI
Linux · Linux
2dbcdf33dbf61f44b29adb52338282c3d7840d0e before 9c0f6894982b1f13bda220707497b25ac9c95bdb; 2dbcdf33dbf61f44b29adb52338282c3d7840d0e before a13b789497a7fdd27d4d63f5c69d23db706ef0fe; 2dbcdf33dbf61f44b29adb52338282c3d7840d0e before fa588f28401102652068c4cc75e135507f4b5106; 2dbcdf33dbf61f44b29adb52338282c3d7840d0e before fcd64d4d97af5d9736f31040f8ed8cd4c17e4c45; 2dbcdf33dbf61f44b29adb52338282c3d7840d0e before f1516c56ac540da1769f264c3cfefe4499548a5d; 2dbcdf33dbf61f44b29adb52338282c3d7840d0e before 1e97c404e44991fb087c38ccd7414f2d326f9b74; +2 more · source: vendor
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72085
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72085
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1e97c404e44991fb087c38ccd7414f2d326f9b74
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9c0f6894982b1f13bda220707497b25ac9c95bdb
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a13b789497a7fdd27d4d63f5c69d23db706ef0fe
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ca978f8a93d4d36841839bf2847d29b88c2591d6
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f1516c56ac540da1769f264c3cfefe4499548a5d
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fa588f28401102652068c4cc75e135507f4b5106
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