CVE-2026-80589 block: stop the timeout timer when releasing a never added disk
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel block layer allows attackers to cause a system crash or potentially execute code via a race condition during disk release.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-80589?
CVE-2026-80589 is a critical use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 26 Aug 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
block: stop the timeout timer when releasing a never added disk
disk_release() undoes blk_mq_init_allocated_queue() for a disk whose probe failed before add_disk(), but it only calls blk_mq_exit_queue(). Nothing there stops q->timeout, and that timer rolls forward: it stays pending until it next expires, not until the last request completes. So if the driver issued any I/O before adding the disk, the request_queue is freed while still linked into a timer wheel bucket.
Commit 6f8191fdf41d ("block: simplify disk shutdown") dropped the blk_cleanup_queue() call that used to stop it. __del_gendisk() and blk_mq_destroy_queue() still do; only the probe failure path lost it.
nvme gets there because nvme_update_ns_info() submits Report Zones or FDP io-mgmt-recv on ns->queue before the disk is added, so a later failure - a concurrent reset setting NVME_CTRL_FROZEN, or device_add_disk() failing - lands in put_disk() with the timer armed:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in detach_if_pending+0x30c/0x340 Write of size 8 at addr ffff888004d71310 by task kworker/u8:2/37 __timer_delete_sync+0x156/0x240 kernel/time/timer.c:1621 blk_sync_queue+0x22/0x40 block/blk-core.c:222 nvme_sync_queues+0x100/0x150 drivers/nvme/host/core.c:5362 nvme_reset_work+0x138/0x930 drivers/nvme/host/pci.c:3264
Allocated by task 34: __blk_mq_alloc_disk+0x33/0x100 block/blk-mq.c:4462 nvme_alloc_ns+0x290/0x3870 drivers/nvme/host/core.c:4146
Freed by task 0: blk_free_queue_rcu+0x3a/0x50 block/blk-core.c:254 rcu_core+0xc10/0x1730 kernel/rcu/tree.c:2857
The queue being synced there is ctrl->admin_q, only a victim sharing a timer wheel bucket with the freed queue's dangling entry; other runs tripped in enqueue_timer(), __run_timers() or blk_mq_timeout_work(). Failing nvme_alloc_ns() with a debug patch makes it deterministic: one leaked timer trips KASAN within seconds, while 1987 patched releases produced no splat.
Stop the timer and the queue work items before blk_mq_exit_queue(), like blk_mq_destroy_queue() does.
Found by FuzzNvme.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-80589?
How do I fix CVE-2026-80589?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2026-80589 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-80589 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-97694, BELL-CVE-2026-80589, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-80589, GHSA-rf5w-wp84-mh25, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-80589.