Critical severity · published Sep 11, 2026
CVE-2026-89708
nfsd: RCU-protect cl_cb_session to fix use-after-free on session teardown
9.8
CVSS
0.4%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
nfsd: RCU-protect cl_cb_session to fix use-after-free on session teardown
After a DESTROY_SESSION the per-session teardown path can free a
session while rpciod still holds an inflight callback rpc_task that
dereferences clp->cl_cb_session. nfsd4_probe_callback_sync() flushes
cl_callback_wq, but once nfsd4_run_cb_work() has called
rpc_call_async() the rpc_task lives on rpciod; flushing the workqueue
does not wait for it. rpc_shutdown_client() does drain rpciod tasks,
but uses a 1-second wait_event_timeout — tasks stuck in rpc_delay()
(e.g. 2-second NFS4ERR_DELAY retries) can outlive the drain.
destroy path rpciod
------------ ------
unhash_session(ses)
nfsd4_probe_callback_sync(clp)
flush_workqueue(cl_callback_wq)
/* returns; rpc_task still live */
nfsd4_put_session_locked(ses)
free_session(ses) -> kfree(ses)
nfsd4_cb_sequence_done()
reads cb_clp->cl_cb_session
/* freed slab */
A second window exists in nfsd4_process_cb_update(). When
__nfsd4_find_backchannel() returns NULL because unhash_session() has
already removed the destroyed session from cl_sessions,
setup_callback_client() takes the v4.1 early return so
clp->cl_cb_session = ses never fires and the field retains a pointer
to the about-to-be-freed session.
Fix both by converting cl_cb_session to an RCU-protected pointer:
- Move the cl_cb_session = ses assignment in setup_callback_client()
to after rpc_create() succeeds, so it is only published when a
working backchannel exists. Clear cl_cb_session on the error
return in nfsd4_process_cb_update(). Both stores use
rcu_assign_pointer().
- Annotate cl_cb_session with __rcu. All rpciod-side readers use
rcu_read_lock()/rcu_dereference() and check for NULL, bailing to
the appropriate error or requeue path:
encode_cb_sequence4args(), decode_cb_sequence4resok(),
nfsd41_cb_get_slot(), nfsd41_cb_release_slot(),
nfsd4_cb_prepare(), and nfsd4_cb_sequence_done().
- Switch __free_session() from kfree() to kfree_rcu() so the
session slab is not reclaimed until after an RCU grace period,
guaranteeing that rpciod readers inside rcu_read_lock() never
dereference freed memory.
- Pass the session pointer to the nfsd_cb_seq_status and
nfsd_cb_free_slot tracepoints instead of having them re-read
cl_cb_session.
- nfsd4_cb_prepare() calls rpc_exit() when the session is NULL,
routing through the done/release path to requeue the callback.
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)0.4% · higher than 38% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
LI
Linux · Linux
dcbeaa68dbbdacbbb330a86c7fc95a28473fc209 before 2775ec1d617e665eab71ce0f13ab1f7959713a2b; dcbeaa68dbbdacbbb330a86c7fc95a28473fc209 before f164eb52b6f3cbf40f07fe379f9f421f88e02f76; dcbeaa68dbbdacbbb330a86c7fc95a28473fc209 before 13bdd486c3aad4fc19e6d8b9c3556a4b4c190b25; dcbeaa68dbbdacbbb330a86c7fc95a28473fc209 before 01c5d5f58a5db9b0ee5afba2e49d3157788687b2; 2.6.38 · source: vendor
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-89708
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-89708
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/01c5d5f58a5db9b0ee5afba2e49d3157788687b2
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/13bdd486c3aad4fc19e6d8b9c3556a4b4c190b25
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2775ec1d617e665eab71ce0f13ab1f7959713a2b
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f164eb52b6f3cbf40f07fe379f9f421f88e02f76
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