# CVE-2026-90130: vdpa_sim: fix cleanup after worker creation failure

> A null pointer dereference in the Linux kernel's vdpa_sim driver causes a general protection fault and system crash when worker creation fails.

- **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-102032, BELL-CVE-2026-90130, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-90130, GHSA-fv2p-wqj9-c85j, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-90130

## What is CVE-2026-90130?

CVE-2026-90130 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_sim: fix cleanup after worker creation failure

vdpasim_create() leaves vdpasim->worker as an ERR_PTR when
kthread_run_worker() fails. The error path then drops the device
reference, which releases the partially initialized simulator.

vdpasim_free() unconditionally passes the worker pointer to
kthread_destroy_worker(), so the ERR_PTR is dereferenced and can trigger
a general protection fault.

Store the worker error, clear the pointer, and only clean up the worker
when it was successfully initialized. Also make the release path tolerate
partially initialized objects by guarding virtqueue and IOTLB cleanup,
since the same release path can be reached from other initialization
failures.

I found this bug myself, though the patch was written with AI assistance.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-90130?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-90130?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-90130 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-90130 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-90130 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-90130 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-2026-90130 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-2026-90130/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-90130/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-90130
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-90130
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-90130

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-90130/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.