CVE-2026-90173 smb: smbdirect: free completion queues with ib_free_cq()
A use-after-free in the Linux kernel SMB Direct module allows attackers to cause a system crash or potentially execute code via race conditions.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-90173?
CVE-2026-90173 is a critical use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 17 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:
smb: smbdirect: free completion queues with ib_free_cq()
smbdirect_connection_destroy_qp() creates the send and receive completion queues with ib_alloc_cq_any(), which for IB_POLL_WORKQUEUE arms an internal completion handler that runs ib_cq_poll_work() on a workqueue. Tearing those CQs down with ib_destroy_cq() frees them without first cancelling that poll work.
If the provider posts a completion late -- for example Soft-RoCE (rxe) posting an RNR error from rxe_receiver() after rdma_destroy_qp() -- the handler re-queues ib_cq_poll_work() on the already-freed CQ, and a follow-on access faults in rxe_req_notify_cq().
Use ib_free_cq(), which cancel_work_sync()es the poll work before freeing the CQ, so no completion handler can run against a freed queue.
[ 1236.599526] ================================================================== [ 1236.602142] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ib_cq_poll_work+0xd0/0x1a0 [ 1236.605524] Read of size 8 at addr ffff888111865800 by task kworker/4:1H/82 [ 1236.609017] [ 1236.609270] CPU: 4 UID: 0 PID: 82 Comm: kworker/4:1H Not tainted 7.2.0-rc3-next-20260717-virtme #110 PREEMPT(lazy) [ 1236.609287] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.17.0-debian-1.17.0-1 04/01/2014 [ 1236.609498] Workqueue: ib-comp-wq ib_cq_poll_work [ 1236.609525] Call Trace: [ 1236.609536] <TASK> [ 1236.609545] __dump_stack+0x21/0x60 [ 1236.609562] dump_stack_lvl+0xc2/0x100 [ 1236.609573] print_address_description+0x77/0x200 [ 1236.609587] ? ib_cq_poll_work+0xd0/0x1a0 [ 1236.609597] print_report+0x58/0x70 [ 1236.609607] kasan_report+0x117/0x150 [ 1236.609623] ? ib_cq_poll_work+0xd0/0x1a0 [ 1236.609636] ? process_scheduled_works+0x954/0x1600 [ 1236.609650] ib_cq_poll_work+0xd0/0x1a0 [ 1236.609662] ? process_scheduled_works+0x954/0x1600 [ 1236.609674] process_scheduled_works+0xc22/0x1600 [ 1236.609698] ? __pfx_process_scheduled_works+0x10/0x10 [ 1236.609713] ? __pfx_assign_work+0x10/0x10 [ 1236.609726] ? lock_is_held_type+0x7b/0x110 [ 1236.609741] worker_thread+0x975/0xee0 [ 1236.609757] ? __pfx_do_raw_spin_lock+0x10/0x10 [ 1236.609775] ? __kthread_parkme+0x21e/0x260 [ 1236.609789] kthread+0x3a6/0x490 [ 1236.609800] ? __pfx_worker_thread+0x10/0x10 [ 1236.609809] ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 [ 1236.609820] ret_from_fork+0x55a/0xa20 [ 1236.609835] ? __pfx_ret_from_fork+0x10/0x10 [ 1236.609850] ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 [ 1236.609861] ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 [ 1236.609880] </TASK> [ 1236.609886] [ 1236.661292] Allocated by task 5076: [ 1236.662640] kasan_save_track+0x3e/0x80 [ 1236.663842] __kasan_kmalloc+0x72/0x90 [ 1236.664763] __kmalloc_noprof+0x2b0/0x5d0 [ 1236.665356] __ib_alloc_cq+0x284/0x1000 [ 1236.666573] __ib_alloc_cq_any+0x23e/0x340 [ 1236.668654] smbdirect_connection_create_qp+0x6f7/0x1070 [ 1236.669757] smbdirect_accept_connect_request+0x500/0x1ca0 [ 1236.672625] smbdirect_listen_rdma_event_handler+0x1655/0x1c50 [ 1236.673930] cma_listen_handler+0x1bf/0x260 [ 1236.674923] cma_cm_event_handler+0x128/0x380 [ 1236.676926] cma_ib_req_handler+0x2d3d/0x4de0 [ 1236.678368] cm_process_work+0xb0/0x530 [ 1236.680454] cm_queue_work_unlock+0xb1/0x230 [ 1236.681673] cm_work_handler+0x969f/0xdca0 [ 1236.682704] process_scheduled_works+0xc22/0x1600 [ 1236.683447] worker_thread+0x975/0xee0 [ 1236.685901] kthread+0x3a6/0x490 [ 1236.688164] ret_from_fork+0x55a/0xa20 [ 1236.689522] ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 [ 1236.690073] [ 1236.690378] Freed by task 5137: [ 1236.692242] kasan_save_track+0x3e/0x80 [ 1236.694272] kasan_save_free_info+0x40/0x50 [ 1236.695514] __kasan_slab_free+0x3a/0x60 [ 1236.696773] kfree+0x14e/0x4e0 [ 1236.697216] ib_destroy_cq_user+0x18d/0x250 [ 1236.699817] smbdirect_connection_destroy_qp+0xf2/0x280 [ 1236.702115] smbdirect_socket_destroy_sync+0x1607/0x2720 [ 1236.704062] smbdirect_socket_release+0x140/0x280 [ 1236.705286] smb_direct_free_transpor ---truncated---
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-90173?
How do I fix CVE-2026-90173?
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-2026-90173 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-90173 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2026-90173, GHSA-c82p-5m8q-6jh9, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-90173.