CVE-2026-74702 vhost-scsi: reject feature changes after endpoint
A local attacker can trigger a kernel crash in vhost-scsi by changing virtio features after endpoint setup, causing a null pointer dereference.
- 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
What is CVE-2026-74702?
CVE-2026-74702 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, published on 22 Aug 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:
vhost-scsi: reject feature changes after endpoint
vhost_scsi_setup_vq_cmds() runs from VHOST_SCSI_SET_ENDPOINT and allocates each command's protection scatterlist array (prot_sgl) according to the acknowledged VIRTIO_SCSI_F_T10_PI bit. The command pools are not rebuilt when VHOST_SET_FEATURES changes that bit later.
Although virtio feature bits must not change after feature negotiation, vhost_scsi_set_features() currently accepts such a request after the endpoint is active and updates acked_features. Enabling T10-PI after endpoint setup therefore leaves prot_sgl NULL while the I/O path follows the new feature bit.
For a 129-page protection payload, vhost_scsi_mapal() passes the missing first chunk to sg_alloc_table_chained():
sg_alloc_table_chained(table, 129, first_chunk=NULL, nents_first_chunk=inline_sg_cnt)
sg_pool_index() then hits:
BUG_ON(nents > SG_CHUNK_SIZE); /* 129 > 128 */
The kernel reported the following call trace and register state:
Call Trace: <TASK> ? __sg_alloc_table+0x1d8/0x250 ? __pfx_vhost_run_work_list+0x10/0x10 [vhost] sg_alloc_table_chained+0x59/0xf0 ? __pfx_sg_pool_alloc+0x10/0x10 ? vhost_scsi_calc_sgls.constprop.0+0x43/0x60 [vhost_scsi] vhost_scsi_handle_vq+0xf02/0x1700 [vhost_scsi] ? __pfx_vhost_scsi_handle_vq+0x10/0x10 [vhost_scsi] vhost_scsi_handle_kick+0x37/0x50 [vhost_scsi] vhost_run_work_list+0x8e/0xd0 [vhost] vhost_task_fn+0xe1/0x210 ret_from_fork+0x348/0x540 </TASK>
RIP: 0010:0x4 CR2 = 0x4 RSP: 0018:ffffc90000dbf940 EFLAGS: 00010202 RAX: ffffffff82396810 RBX: ffff88811dc28b80 RCX: 0000000000000000 RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 0000000000000820 RDI: 0000000000000081
VHOST_F_LOG_ALL is a vhost-specific runtime feature and remains the only exception.
Reject changes to any feature other than VHOST_F_LOG_ALL while the endpoint is active. This preserves the existing runtime log toggle while preventing feature-dependent command resources and data-path state from becoming inconsistent. Userspace must clear the endpoint before changing any other negotiated feature and set the endpoint up again afterward.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74702?
How do I fix CVE-2026-74702?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2026-74702 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74702 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-74702, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-74702, GHSA-r9hq-6x72-7q3j, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74702.