critical CVSS 9.8

CVE-2026-99153·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: scsi: libiscsi: Validate the ITT reflected in a Reject PDU A Reject PDU carries a copy of the header it rejects, and iscsi_handle_reject() takes the ITT out of that copy to find the task to clean up: memcpy(&rejected_pdu, data, sizeof(struct iscsi_hdr)); ... task = iscsi_itt_to_task(conn, rejected_pdu.itt); That value is whatever the target put there. iscsi_itt_to_task() bounds the index against cmds_max and checks nothing else, so any task in the pool can be named, and iscsi_nop_out_rsp() then completes it. An index that has never been used gives a NULL task->conn: the pool is zeroed at session setup and conn is assigned only when a task is allocated. If the task was used and returned, iscsi_complete_task() hits its WARN_ON_ONCE(task->state == ISCSI_TASK_FREE) and the refcount underflows. An in-flight SCSI command is completed as successful - a 1 MiB read returned 1048576 with none of its buffer written and no warning. Validate the reflected ITT the way iscsi_itt_to_ctask() validates a command ITT, and require the task to be in flight and not a SCSI command. [ 6.248477] Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc000000000c: 0000 [#1] SMP KASAN NOPTI [ 6.249357] KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000060-0x0000000000000067] [ 6.249951] CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/1 Not tainted 7.2.0-rc5-ISCSI1-gf5098b6bae76 #1 PREEMPT(lazy) [ 6.250718] Hardware name: QEMU Ubuntu 24.04 PC v2 (i440FX + PIIX, arch_caps fix, 1996), BIOS 1.16.3-debian-1.16.3-2 04/01/2014 [ 6.251616] RIP: 0010:iscsi_nop_out_rsp.constprop.0+0x46/0x160 [ 6.252043] Code: c1 ea 03 48 83 ec 08 80 3c 02 00 0f 85 f5 00 00 00 48 b8 00 00 00 00 00 fc ff df 48 8b 6b 58 48 8d 7d 60 48 89 fa 48 c1 ea 03 <80> 3c 02 00 0f 85 c0 00 00 00 48 8b 45 60 48 39 c3 74 50 48 b8 00 [ 6.252813] RSP: 0018:ffff88806c907b80 EFLAGS: 00010206 [ 6.253042] RAX: dffffc0000000000 RBX: ffff88800607e000 RCX: ffffffff8d571a25 [ 6.253345] RDX: 000000000000000c RSI: ffff88806c907c38 RDI: 0000000000000060 [ 6.253642] RBP: 0000000000000000 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: fffffbfff235a504 [ 6.253947] R10: 0000000000000003 R11: 7463656e6e6f6320 R12: 0000000000000000 [ 6.254251] R13: 0000000000000000 R14: ffff88806c907c38 R15: 0000000000000000 [ 6.254549] FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff8880d95bc000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 [ 6.254887] CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 [ 6.255140] CR2: 00007fc393e8ffc0 CR3: 0000000005252006 CR4: 0000000000770ef0 [ 6.255439] PKRU: 55555554 [ 6.255564] Call Trace: [ 6.255674] <IRQ> [ 6.255768] __iscsi_complete_pdu+0x18bf/0x22a0 [ 6.256733] iscsi_complete_pdu+0x54/0xa0 [ 6.256905] iscsi_tcp_data_recv_done+0xf4/0x250 [ 6.257103] iscsi_tcp_recv_skb+0x31e/0xec0 [ 6.257680] iscsi_sw_tcp_recv+0x12f/0x390 [ 6.258061] __tcp_read_sock+0x1ab/0x810 [ 6.258853] iscsi_sw_tcp_data_ready+0x18b/0x510 [ 6.259808] tcp_data_queue+0x1f13/0x4cd0 [ 6.260567] tcp_rcv_established+0x8a5/0x3a00 [ 6.261931] tcp_v4_do_rcv+0x449/0x960 [ 6.262269] tcp_v4_rcv+0x2245/0x3bc0

Severity
critical
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 6.12.115, 6.18.59, 7.2.13, 7.3
Published

How to fix this CVE

Update your Linux kernel to a patched version to resolve a critical iSCSI protocol handling vulnerability. Systems running kernel versions before 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 6.12.115, 6.18.59, or 7.2.13 should upgrade immediately. Check your current kernel version and update within your stable branch rather than jumping to mainline.

sudo dnf update kernel kernel-devel && sudo reboot

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Check your installed kernel version: uname -r
  2. Compare against fixed versions: If your version is older than 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 6.12.115, 6.18.59, or 7.2.13 (depending on your branch), you are vulnerable
  3. Verify iSCSI is in use: grep -i iscsi /proc/modules or systemctl status open-iscsi to determine if iSCSI initiator services are active
  4. Confirm patch applied after update: uname -r should show a kernel version at or above the fixed release for your branch

FAQ

What is CVE-2026-99153?

A critical vulnerability in the Linux kernel's iSCSI initiator code where malicious targets can send specially crafted Reject Protocol Data Units containing invalid Task Tags, causing memory access violations, data corruption, or kernel crashes when the initiator attempts to process them.

Is CVE-2026-99153 being actively exploited?

No, there is no evidence of active exploitation in the wild or publicly available exploits as of now. However, the critical CVSS 9.8 score and lack of user interaction requirements mean patches should be applied immediately.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2026-99153?

All stable kernel branches are affected: versions before 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.161, 6.12.115, 6.18.59, and 7.2.13. Identify your branch (e.g., 6.6.x) and update to the fixed version within that same branch.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2026-99153?

Run uname -r to see your kernel version, then compare it against the fixed versions listed above. If your version is older, you are vulnerable. Additionally, check if iSCSI is active with systemctl status open-iscsi or grep iscsi /proc/modules.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2026-99153?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If the Linux kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2026-99153 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Kernel CVEs

CVE-2026-63795CVSS 10In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: 9p: avoid putting oldfid in p9_client_walk() error path When p9_client_walk() is called with clone set to false, fid aliases oldfid. If the walk subsequently fails after the request has been sent, the error path jumps to clunk_fid, which currently calls p9_fid_put(fid) unconditionally. This drops a reference to oldfid even though ownership of oldfid remains with the caller. If this is the last reference, oldfid can be clunked and destroyed while the caller still expects it to be valid. A later use or put of oldfid can then trigger a use-after-free or refcount underflow. Fix this by only putting fid in the clunk_fid error path when it does not alias oldfid, matching the existing guard in the error path below. This can be triggered when a multi-component walk is split into multiple p9_client_walk() calls and a later non-cloning walk fails. A reproducer and refcount warning logs are available on request.
CVE-2026-64160CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfs: Fix potential for tearing in ->remote_i_size and ->zero_point Fix potential tearing in using ->remote_i_size and ->zero_point by copying i_size_read() and i_size_write() and using the same seqcount as for i_size. We need to make sure that netfslib and the filesystems that use it always hold i_lock whilst updating any of the sizes to prevent i_size_seqcount from getting corrupted.
CVE-2026-64125CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bcmgenet: keep RBUF EEE/PM disabled Setting RBUF_EEE_EN | RBUF_PM_EN in RBUF_ENERGY_CTRL breaks the RX path on GENET hardware once MAC EEE becomes active. RX traffic stops flowing while the link stays up and the usual descriptor/RX error counters remain quiet. In that state the MAC still accepts frames (rbuf_ovflow_cnt keeps climbing) but RBUF no longer forwards them to DMA, so rx_packets is no longer incremented at the netdev level. On some boards the corruption ends up as a paging fault in skb_release_data via bcmgenet_rx_poll on an LPI exit. Reproduced on Pi 4B (BCM2711 + BCM54213PE) and confirmed by Florian Fainelli on an internal Broadcom 4908-family board with the same crash signature. RBUF_PM_EN is not publicly documented. This shows up more often now that phy_support_eee() enables EEE by default, but it also affects older kernels as soon as TX LPI is turned on via ethtool, so it is not specific to recent changes. Always clear RBUF_EEE_EN | RBUF_PM_EN in bcmgenet_eee_enable_set so the bits stay off across resets. UMAC and TBUF setup is left alone so TX-side EEE keeps working.
CVE-2026-64136CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb: client: protect tc_count increment in smb2_find_smb_sess_tcon_unlocked() Commit 96c4af418586 ("cifs: Fix locking usage for tcon fields") refactored cifs code to change cifs_tcp_ses_lock for tc_lock around tc_count changes. There was missing lock around tc_count increment inside smb2_find_smb_sess_tcon_unlocked().
CVE-2026-53399CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfsd: release layout stid on setlease failure nfs4_alloc_stid() publishes the new stid into cl->cl_stateids via idr_alloc_cyclic() under cl_lock before returning to nfsd4_alloc_layout_stateid(). When nfsd4_layout_setlease() then fails, the error path frees the layout stateid directly with kmem_cache_free() without ever calling idr_remove(), leaving the IDR slot pointing at freed slab memory. Any subsequent IDR walker (states_show, client teardown) dereferences the dangling pointer. The correct teardown for an IDR-published stid is nfs4_put_stid(), which removes the IDR slot under cl_lock, dispatches sc_free (nfsd4_free_layout_stateid) to release ls->ls_file via nfsd4_close_layout(), and drops the nfs4_file reference in its tail. A second issue blocks that switch: nfsd4_free_layout_stateid() unconditionally inspects ls->ls_fence_work via delayed_work_pending() under ls_lock, but INIT_DELAYED_WORK(&ls->ls_fence_work, ...) currently runs only after the setlease call. On the setlease-failure path the destructor would touch an uninitialized delayed_work. nfsd4_alloc_layout_stateid() nfs4_alloc_stid() /* idr_alloc_cyclic under cl_lock */ nfsd4_layout_setlease() /* fails */ nfs4_put_stid() nfsd4_free_layout_stateid() delayed_work_pending(&ls->ls_fence_work) /* needs INIT */ nfsd4_close_layout() /* nfsd_file_put(ls->ls_file) */ put_nfs4_file() Fix by hoisting the ls_fenced / ls_fence_delay / INIT_DELAYED_WORK initialization above the nfsd4_layout_setlease() call, and replace the manual nfsd_file_put + put_nfs4_file + kmem_cache_free cleanup with a single nfs4_put_stid(stp).

References

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