# CVE-2026-99038: memstick: rtsx_usb_ms: complete requests after eject instead of dropping them


- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 23 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 23 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-110909, BELL-CVE-2026-99038, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-99038, GHSA-95v5-2rxr-2qx7, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-99038

## What is CVE-2026-99038?

CVE-2026-99038 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 23 Oct 2026. 

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

memstick: rtsx_usb_ms: complete requests after eject instead of dropping them

memstick_check() can pass its host->removing check just before
rtsx_usb_ms_drv_remove() sets eject/removing. Its next request is then
silently dropped: rtsx_usb_ms_request() skips schedule_work() once eject
is set, and drv_remove's cancel_work_sync() can also cancel a queued
handle_req before it picks the request up. Nobody completes
card->mrq_complete.

Once memstick core waits for requests without a timeout ("memstick: core:
wait for request completion before freeing card"), this hangs removal:
memstick_check() never returns and memstick_remove_host() blocks in
flush_workqueue():

  INFO: task kworker/u10:3:65 blocked for more than 20 seconds.
  Workqueue: kmemstick memstick_check
   __wait_for_common
   memstick_check

  INFO: task kworker/1:1:33 blocked for more than 20 seconds.
  Workqueue: usb_hub_wq hub_event
   __flush_workqueue
   memstick_remove_host
   rtsx_usb_ms_drv_remove

Never drop a request. rtsx_usb_ms_request() always schedules handle_req,
and handle_req fails requests with -ENOMEDIUM once eject is set, without
touching the device. drv_remove flushes handle_req instead of cancelling
it, and cancels it only after memstick_remove_host(), when no new
request can arrive, so it cannot run on a freed host.

The host_mutex drain in drv_remove is removed: handle_req always leaves
host->req NULL when it finishes, so the drain never had anything to do,
and it would now race with handle_req.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-99038?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-99038?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2026-99038 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-99038 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-99038 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-99038 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 23 Oct 2026. 
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-99038 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-2026-99038/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-99038/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-99038
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-99038
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-99038

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-99038/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.