CVE-2026-68173
ublk: wait on ublk_dev_ready() instead of ub->completion
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ublk: wait on ublk_dev_ready() instead of ub->completion ub->completion is only re-armed by a successful START_USER_RECOVERY. If the ublk server sends END_USER_RECOVERY without one - e.g. its START failed with -EBUSY and the error was ignored - the wait is satisfied by the stale completion of the previous recovery cycle, and the device is marked LIVE and the requeue list kicked while the FETCH stream is still running and ubq->canceling is still set. The kick redispatches a previously requeued request, __ublk_queue_rq_common() sees ->canceling and parks it again via __ublk_abort_rq(), and after the last FETCH clears ->canceling nothing ever kicks the requeue list again: the request is stranded there while holding its tag. If it is the flush machinery's flush_rq, every subsequent fsync piles up in uninterruptible sleep and teardown hangs on tag draining. This matches a report of a lost PREFLUSH with ext4 on top of ublk after daemon crash recovery. ub->completion is an edge-triggered latch used as a proxy for the level condition "every queue has fetched all I/O commands", which can regress (F_BATCH's UNPREP, daemon death) and whose re-arm can be skipped. Drop it and wait on the real condition instead: the new helper ublk_wait_dev_ready_and_lock() waits on ublk_dev_ready() via wait_var_event_interruptible(), woken from ublk_mark_io_ready(), then re-checks it under ub->mutex, waiting again on regression, and returns with the mutex held and readiness guaranteed. Readiness becomes true in the same ub->mutex critical section that clears the last queue's ->canceling, so END_USER_RECOVERY marks the device LIVE and kicks the requeue list strictly after ->canceling clears. The wait stays interruptible, so a server whose daemon died can still be signalled out. For ublk_ctrl_start_dev() this replaces the fail-fast -EINVAL on an F_BATCH ready->UNPREP regression with waiting until the device is ready again.
INFO
Published Date :
Aug. 10, 2026, 1:20 p.m.
Last Modified :
Aug. 17, 2026, 5:18 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 |
Solution
- Update the Linux kernel to include the fix.
- Ensure servers wait on ublk_dev_ready() for device state.
- Verify device readiness before processing I/O queues.
- Handle server daemon death gracefully.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-68173.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-68173 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-68173
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-68173 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-68173 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Aug. 17, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Changed Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '728cbac5fe219d3b8a21a0688a08f2b7f8aeda2b', 'lessThan': '7dd26adf7e7d482af524e3a0cca4a81ef7c159d0', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '728cbac5fe219d3b8a21a0688a08f2b7f8aeda2b', 'lessThan': '8f188dd11a1c2ad94caeaee36ef68bb8221d4a12', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '728cbac5fe219d3b8a21a0688a08f2b7f8aeda2b', 'lessThan': '432a9b2780c0a01caf547bd1fc2fcf28aeb8d173', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '42ea64e01c96e594fb4f80c54dfe4f934d008a6e', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.14.6', 'lessThan': '6.15', 'versionType': 'semver'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/block/ublk_drv.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.15'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.15', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.42', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.6', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2-rc5', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/block/ublk_drv.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '728cbac5fe219d3b8a21a0688a08f2b7f8aeda2b', 'lessThan': '7dd26adf7e7d482af524e3a0cca4a81ef7c159d0', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '728cbac5fe219d3b8a21a0688a08f2b7f8aeda2b', 'lessThan': '8f188dd11a1c2ad94caeaee36ef68bb8221d4a12', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '728cbac5fe219d3b8a21a0688a08f2b7f8aeda2b', 'lessThan': '432a9b2780c0a01caf547bd1fc2fcf28aeb8d173', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '42ea64e01c96e594fb4f80c54dfe4f934d008a6e', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.14.6', 'lessThan': '6.15', 'versionType': 'semver'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/block/ublk_drv.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.15'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.15', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.42', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.6', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/block/ublk_drv.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] -
CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Aug. 13, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H -
New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Aug. 10, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '728cbac5fe219d3b8a21a0688a08f2b7f8aeda2b', 'lessThan': '7dd26adf7e7d482af524e3a0cca4a81ef7c159d0', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '728cbac5fe219d3b8a21a0688a08f2b7f8aeda2b', 'lessThan': '8f188dd11a1c2ad94caeaee36ef68bb8221d4a12', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '728cbac5fe219d3b8a21a0688a08f2b7f8aeda2b', 'lessThan': '432a9b2780c0a01caf547bd1fc2fcf28aeb8d173', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '42ea64e01c96e594fb4f80c54dfe4f934d008a6e', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.14.6', 'lessThan': '6.15', 'versionType': 'semver'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/block/ublk_drv.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.15'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.15', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.42', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.6', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2-rc5', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/block/ublk_drv.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ublk: wait on ublk_dev_ready() instead of ub->completion ub->completion is only re-armed by a successful START_USER_RECOVERY. If the ublk server sends END_USER_RECOVERY without one - e.g. its START failed with -EBUSY and the error was ignored - the wait is satisfied by the stale completion of the previous recovery cycle, and the device is marked LIVE and the requeue list kicked while the FETCH stream is still running and ubq->canceling is still set. The kick redispatches a previously requeued request, __ublk_queue_rq_common() sees ->canceling and parks it again via __ublk_abort_rq(), and after the last FETCH clears ->canceling nothing ever kicks the requeue list again: the request is stranded there while holding its tag. If it is the flush machinery's flush_rq, every subsequent fsync piles up in uninterruptible sleep and teardown hangs on tag draining. This matches a report of a lost PREFLUSH with ext4 on top of ublk after daemon crash recovery. ub->completion is an edge-triggered latch used as a proxy for the level condition "every queue has fetched all I/O commands", which can regress (F_BATCH's UNPREP, daemon death) and whose re-arm can be skipped. Drop it and wait on the real condition instead: the new helper ublk_wait_dev_ready_and_lock() waits on ublk_dev_ready() via wait_var_event_interruptible(), woken from ublk_mark_io_ready(), then re-checks it under ub->mutex, waiting again on regression, and returns with the mutex held and readiness guaranteed. Readiness becomes true in the same ub->mutex critical section that clears the last queue's ->canceling, so END_USER_RECOVERY marks the device LIVE and kicks the requeue list strictly after ->canceling clears. The wait stays interruptible, so a server whose daemon died can still be signalled out. For ublk_ctrl_start_dev() this replaces the fail-fast -EINVAL on an F_BATCH ready->UNPREP regression with waiting until the device is ready again. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/432a9b2780c0a01caf547bd1fc2fcf28aeb8d173 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7dd26adf7e7d482af524e3a0cca4a81ef7c159d0 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8f188dd11a1c2ad94caeaee36ef68bb8221d4a12