# CVE-2026-97536: scsi: qla2xxx: Fix use-after-free of qpair work on queue teardown

> A use-after-free in the qla2xxx SCSI driver allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges during queue teardown.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:A/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:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 25 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-104340, BELL-CVE-2026-97536, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-97536, GHSA-6h84-4ch4-64mj, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-97536

## What is CVE-2026-97536?

CVE-2026-97536 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 25 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:

scsi: qla2xxx: Fix use-after-free of qpair work on queue teardown

The response queue MSI-X handler qla2xxx_msix_rsp_q() schedules
qla_do_work() via queue_work(ha->wq, &qpair->q_work). qla_do_work()
dereferences the qpair (vha, rsp) and takes qpair->qp_lock.

During teardown, qla2xxx_delete_qpair() deletes the response queue, which
calls free_irq() in qla25xx_free_rsp_que(), and then frees the queue and
the qpair. free_irq() waits for running hardirq handlers but does not
cancel work already placed on ha->wq. A still-pending q_work then runs
qla_do_work() against the freed qpair and response queue, causing a
use-after-free. This is especially likely during full adapter teardown,
where destroy_workqueue(ha->wq) forces pending work to run after the queue
pairs have been freed.

Flush the work item with cancel_work_sync() in qla25xx_free_rsp_que()
after free_irq() has released the interrupt (so no new work can be
queued) and before the response queue and qpair memory are freed (so the
flushed handler still sees valid memory). Guard on rsp->qpair and ha->wq
to match the INIT_WORK() condition and avoid operating on an
uninitialized work_struct.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-97536?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-97536?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-97536 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-97536 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-97536 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-97536 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 25 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-2026-97536 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-2026-97536/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97536/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-97536
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-97536
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-97536

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-97536/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.