# CVE-2026-23285: drbd: fix null-pointer dereference on local read error

> A null-pointer dereference in the Linux kernel DRBD module allows local attackers to cause a system crash via a read error.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 25 Mar 2026
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-80580, BELL-CVE-2026-23285, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-23285, GHSA-h6wj-6663-2gvh, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2026-23285, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-23285, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-23285, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-23285

## What is CVE-2026-23285?

CVE-2026-23285 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

drbd: fix null-pointer dereference on local read error

In drbd_request_endio(), READ_COMPLETED_WITH_ERROR is passed to
__req_mod() with a NULL peer_device:

  __req_mod(req, what, NULL, &m);

The READ_COMPLETED_WITH_ERROR handler then unconditionally passes this
NULL peer_device to drbd_set_out_of_sync(), which dereferences it,
causing a null-pointer dereference.

Fix this by obtaining the peer_device via first_peer_device(device),
matching how drbd_req_destroy() handles the same situation.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-23285?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-23285?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-23285 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-23285 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-23285 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-23285 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-23285 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-23285/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-23285/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-23285
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-23285
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-23285

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-23285/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.