# CVE-2026-43364: ublk: fix NULL pointer dereference in ublk_ctrl_set_size()

> A local attacker can cause a kernel crash by sending an update size command to an unstarted or stopped ublk device.

- **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:** 8 May 2026
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-43364, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-43364, GHSA-f4x6-g3j5-68gm, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-43364

## What is CVE-2026-43364?

CVE-2026-43364 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 8 May 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:

ublk: fix NULL pointer dereference in ublk_ctrl_set_size()

ublk_ctrl_set_size() unconditionally dereferences ub->ub_disk via
set_capacity_and_notify() without checking if it is NULL.

ub->ub_disk is NULL before UBLK_CMD_START_DEV completes (it is only
assigned in ublk_ctrl_start_dev()) and after UBLK_CMD_STOP_DEV runs
(ublk_detach_disk() sets it to NULL). Since the UBLK_CMD_UPDATE_SIZE
handler performs no state validation, a user can trigger a NULL pointer
dereference by sending UPDATE_SIZE to a device that has been added but
not yet started, or one that has been stopped.

Fix this by checking ub->ub_disk under ub->mutex before dereferencing
it, and returning -ENODEV if the disk is not available.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-43364?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-43364?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-43364 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-43364 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-2026-43364 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-43364 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 8 May 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-2026-43364 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-2026-43364/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-43364/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-43364
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-43364
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-43364

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-43364/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.