# CVE-2026-64326: block: skip sync_blockdev() on surprise removal in bdev_mark_dead()

> A missing check in the Linux kernel block layer causes a hang during surprise device removal, leading to denial of service.

- **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 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 17 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-93458, BELL-CVE-2026-64326, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-64326, GHSA-h8v6-c5rc-5j48, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-64326, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-64326

## What is CVE-2026-64326?

CVE-2026-64326 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Jul 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:

block: skip sync_blockdev() on surprise removal in bdev_mark_dead()

bdev_mark_dead()'s @surprise == true means the device is already gone.
The filesystem callback fs_bdev_mark_dead() honours this and skips
sync_filesystem(), but the bare block device path (no ->mark_dead op)
lost its !surprise guard when the holder ->mark_dead callback was wired
up (see Fixes), and now calls sync_blockdev() unconditionally, which can
hang forever waiting on writeback that can no longer complete.

syzkaller hit this via nvme_reset_work()'s "I/O queues lost" path:
nvme_mark_namespaces_dead() -> blk_mark_disk_dead() ->
bdev_mark_dead(bdev, true) -> sync_blockdev() blocks in
folio_wait_writeback(), wedging the reset worker and every task waiting
on it.

Skip the sync on surprise removal, matching fs_bdev_mark_dead();
invalidate_bdev() still runs. Orderly removal (surprise == false) is
unchanged.

Found by FuzzNvme(Syzkaller with FEMU fuzzing framework).

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64326?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-64326?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-64326 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64326 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-2026-64326 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-64326 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Jul 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-2026-64326 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-2026-64326/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64326/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64326
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64326
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-64326

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64326/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.