All vulnerabilities
CVE-2026-99156

Linux: scsi: st: Fix use-after-free race between st_remove() and st_open()

Linux LinuxOperating systems
CVSS
NoneNot scored
ExploitationNo known exploitationNot in CISA KEV, which does not prove it is unexploitedCISA KEV
Exploit odds (EPSS)No scoreNo FIRST EPSS score in this snapshot yet
Fixed in18a0e3733ce38718688e813e5e2d1106bd4830e5Also 71caf7f84bd62a4bf91cc95abd2de690afb8d15fCVE List
Published28 Oct 2026Updated 28 Oct 2026CVE List

What fixes it

  • 18a0e3733ce38718688e813e5e2d1106bd4830e5LinuxCVE List
  • 71caf7f84bd62a4bf91cc95abd2de690afb8d15fLinuxCVE List

A fixed version on one release line is not the upgrade target for every line. Check your exact version and any vendor backports.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

scsi: st: Fix use-after-free race between st_remove() and st_open()

st_remove() drops the probe reference on the scsi_tape with kref_put() and only afterwards removes its index from st_index_idr. If that was the last reference, scsi_tape_release() frees the structure while it is still published in the idr.

scsi_tape_get(), called from st_open(), looks up the tape in st_index_idr and takes a reference under st_ref_mutex and st_index_lock. remove_cdevs() does not wait for opens that are already past chrdev_open(), so an open that is blocked on st_ref_mutex while st_remove() holds it can take the mutex as soon as st_remove() drops it, find the freed tpnt in the idr and call kref_get() on it:

BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in st_open Write of size 4 ... st_open (drivers/scsi/st.c:254 drivers/scsi/st.c:1291) chrdev_open ... Freed by task ...: kfree st_remove (drivers/scsi/st.c:4512)

Remove the index from the idr before dropping the reference, all under st_ref_mutex. A concurrent scsi_tape_get() now either runs first and holds a valid reference that keeps the tape alive, or runs afterwards and finds nothing, so st_open() fails with -ENXIO.

This restores the ordering st_remove() had before the conversion to st_index_idr, where the tape was unpublished from scsi_tapes[] before the final kref_put().

Text from CVE List

Affected versions 8

  • Linuxaffected: 6c648d95a6af4a79241a916871df17c84c68ea20 before a1647b653549ff29f0422a63eabf329b842f3822CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 6c648d95a6af4a79241a916871df17c84c68ea20 before 18a0e3733ce38718688e813e5e2d1106bd4830e5CVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 6c648d95a6af4a79241a916871df17c84c68ea20 before 71caf7f84bd62a4bf91cc95abd2de690afb8d15fCVE List
  • Linuxaffected: 3.7CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: all versions before 3.7CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 6.18.59 through 6.18.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.2.13 through 7.2.*CVE List
  • Linuxunaffected: 7.3CVE List

References 3