VulnerabilityPublished 1 May 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-43055: Linux kernel · scsi: target: file: Use kzalloc_flex for aio_cmd

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High · fixed in ce54802fe6bb78eb0feffc66fed6a45d41ffc3ab : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:18 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS

0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 29% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

Exploitation: No evidence of active exploitation and no public proof of concept
Automatable: Attackers can reliably automate steps 1–4 of the kill chain
Technical impact: Limited control over the software or limited information exposure

CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-10-16.

Patch

Available – fixed in ce54802fe6bb78eb0feffc66fed6a45d41ffc3ab, 4eaff1728d0e69b95933412241bbccf4f797dba8, 01f784fc9d0ab2a6dac45ee443620e517cb2a19b

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 1 May 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade Linux kernel to ce54802fe6bb78eb0feffc66fed6a45d41ffc3ab, 4eaff1728d0e69b95933412241bbccf4f797dba8 or 01f784fc9d0ab2a6dac45ee443620e517cb2a19b.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 732f25a2895a8c1c54fb56544f0b1e23770ef4d7, < ce54802fe6bb78eb0feffc66fed6a45d41ffc3ab	Fixed in ce54802fe6bb78eb0feffc66fed6a45d41ffc3ab
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 732f25a2895a8c1c54fb56544f0b1e23770ef4d7, < 4eaff1728d0e69b95933412241bbccf4f797dba8	Fixed in 4eaff1728d0e69b95933412241bbccf4f797dba8
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 732f25a2895a8c1c54fb56544f0b1e23770ef4d7, < 01f784fc9d0ab2a6dac45ee443620e517cb2a19b	Fixed in 01f784fc9d0ab2a6dac45ee443620e517cb2a19b
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.16	Fixed in–

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: scsi: target: file: Use kzalloc_flex for aio_cmd The target_core_file doesn't initialize the aio_cmd->iocb for the ki_write_stream. When a write command fd_execute_rw_aio() is executed, we may get a bogus ki_write_stream value, causing unintended write failure status when checking iocb->ki_write_stream > max_write_streams in the block device. Let's just use kzalloc_flex when allocating the aio_cmd and let ki_write_stream=0 to fix this issue.

CWE-457Use of Uninitialized Variable (opens in a new tab)
Variant weaknessLikelihood of exploit: High
The code uses a variable that has not been initialized, leading to unpredictable or unintended results.
Implementation · Attack Surface Reduction
Ensure that critical variables are initialized before first use.
Build and Compilation · Compilation or Build Hardening
Most compilers will complain about the use of uninitialized variables if warnings are turned on.
Implementation · Operation
When using a language that does not require explicit declaration of variables, run or compile the software in a mode that reports undeclared or unknown variables. This may indicate the presence of a typographic error in the variable's name.
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

WeaknessesCWE-457

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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