CVE-2026-89670: Linux kernel · nfsd: hold rcu across localio cmpxchg retry
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.
Data as of 28 Oct 2026, 01:01 UTC
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 11 Sep 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.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gkepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfsd: hold rcu across localio cmpxchg retry nfsd_file objects are freed via call_rcu (filecache.c:296), and nfsd_file_slab is created without SLAB_TYPESAFE_BY_RCU (KMEM_CACHE(nfsd_file, 0) at filecache.c:789), so the slab page backing a freed nfsd_file becomes freely reclaimable once the RCU grace period elapses. The again: retry block in nfsd_open_local_fh() loads a pointer with cmpxchg and then calls nfsd_file_get(new) (which is refcount_inc_not_zero) without holding rcu_read_lock. The sole caller nfs_open_local_fh() drops rcu_read_lock before invoking this helper, so no outer reader-side critical section covers the load. CPU 0 (nfsd_open_local_fh) CPU 1 (nfsd_file_put_local) ----- ----- new = cmpxchg(pnf, NULL, ...) nf = xchg(pnf, NULL) nfsd_file_put(nf) last ref -> call_rcu() /* grace period elapses; slab page recycled */ nfsd_file_get(new) refcount_inc_not_zero(&new->nf_ref) /* operates on recycled memory */ A non-zero word at the nf_ref offset of the recycled object makes the refcount bump appear to succeed, and the caller then dereferences new->nf_net and new->nf_file out of freed memory. Fix by taking rcu_read_lock() immediately before the cmpxchg and releasing it on all three exits of the if (new) block: the goto-again retry, the lost-race cleanup path, and the install-succeeded path. nfsd_file_put() and nfsd_net_put() stay outside the RCU section so they remain free to block.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-89670 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-89670 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/linus/58884694978a3d7d111edb433d7fd6a6c5af2f34 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/559570f91a7d4d199a72105e4980bef791f4cbf1 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/58884694978a3d7d111edb433d7fd6a6c5af2f34 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/763c0bad872368304db718f79af7e93048885c67 (opens in a new tab)