# CVE-2026-90128: vdpa/mlx5: fix wrong list iterated in add_direct_chain error path

> A logic error in the Linux kernel's vdpa/mlx5 driver causes incorrect memory cleanup on error paths, potentially leading to system instability or denial of service.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 17 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-102287, BELL-CVE-2026-90128, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-90128, GHSA-578j-pcj4-7hf3, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-90128

## What is CVE-2026-90128?

CVE-2026-90128 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 17 Sep 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:

vdpa/mlx5: fix wrong list iterated in add_direct_chain error path

In add_direct_chain(), newly allocated direct MR entries are added to
the local list 'tmp', which is spliced into mr->head only on success.
On the error path, the cleanup loop was incorrectly iterating over
mr->head instead of tmp.

Fix by iterating over 'tmp' in the err_alloc cleanup path.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-90128?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-90128?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-90128 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-90128 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-90128 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-90128 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 17 Sep 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-2026-90128 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-2026-90128/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-90128/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-90128
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-90128
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-90128

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-90128/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.