# CVE-2026-90233: nvme-pci: release descriptor pools on probe failure

> A memory leak in the Linux kernel NVMe driver occurs during probe failure, potentially leading to resource exhaustion and 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:** BELL-CVE-2026-90233, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-90233, GHSA-jqrr-g5gr-9xjv, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-90233

## What is CVE-2026-90233?

CVE-2026-90233 is a memory corruption 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:

nvme-pci: release descriptor pools on probe failure

The per-NUMA-node descriptor DMA pools are created lazily from
nvme_init_hctx_common() once the admin tag set is allocated, but they are
only destroyed in nvme_remove() via nvme_release_descriptor_pools(). Any
probe failure after the admin tag set has been allocated unwinds through
the out_disable label and nvme_pci_free_ctrl(), neither of which releases
the pools, leaking the dma_pool objects.

Release the descriptor pools in the out_disable error path. It must not
be added to nvme_pci_free_ctrl(), as that would double-free against
nvme_remove() on the normal teardown path.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-90233?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-90233?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-90233 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-90233 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-90233 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-90233 is a memory corruption 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-2026-90233 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-2026-90233/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-90233/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-90233
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-90233
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-90233

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-90233/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.