# CVE-2026-89848: scsi: qla2xxx: Quiesce response IRQ before freeing request queue

> A use-after-free in the qla2xxx SCSI driver allows attackers to trigger memory corruption via race conditions during queue deletion, potentially leading to code execution or crashes.

- **Severity:** High 8.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 16 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-101286, BELL-CVE-2026-89848, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-89848, GHSA-c5f6-cp2c-vcqc, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-89848

## What is CVE-2026-89848?

CVE-2026-89848 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 16 Sep 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:

scsi: qla2xxx: Quiesce response IRQ before freeing request queue

qla2xxx_delete_qpair() deletes the request queue before the response
queue. qla25xx_delete_req_que() frees the request queue memory
(kfree(req) in qla25xx_free_req_que()), but the response-queue MSI-X is
only released later, in qla25xx_free_rsp_que(). In that window the
response interrupt can still fire, qla2xxx_msix_rsp_q() queues
qpair->q_work, and qla_do_work() -> qla24xx_process_response_queue()
dereferences the now-freed rsp->req (LOGINOUT/CT/ELS entries and the
status path), a use-after-free.

The cancel_work_sync() added for the qpair teardown lives in the
response free path, which runs after the request queue is already freed,
so it does not protect rsp->req.

Release the response-queue interrupt and flush qpair->q_work before
deleting the request queue, so no late completion can reach the freed
request queue. Clearing have_irq makes the subsequent
qla25xx_free_rsp_que() skip its free_irq(), and the firmware
queue-delete order (request then response) is preserved; the
request-delete mailbox completes on the default vector and is unaffected
by dropping the qpair response interrupt early.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-89848?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-89848?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-89848 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-89848 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-89848 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-89848 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 16 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-89848 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. 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-2026-89848/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-89848/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-89848
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-89848
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-89848

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-89848/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.