CVE-2026-89974
nvme-fc: fix double free of fabrics options when nvme_add_ctrl() fails
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nvme-fc: fix double free of fabrics options when nvme_add_ctrl() fails nvmf_create_ctrl() owns the fabrics options and frees them whenever ->create_ctrl() returns an error, so a transport must not free them on its own error paths. nvme-fc tracks this by testing ctrl->ctrl.opts in nvme_fc_ctrl_free(), which requires nvme_fc_init_ctrl() to clear that pointer on every error exit. The coupling is implicit, and commit 1a9e218195a5 ("nvme: split device add from initialization") broke it by adding a second error exit. When nvme_add_ctrl() fails, nvme_fc_init_ctrl() jumps to out_put_ctrl:, past the "ctrl->ctrl.opts = NULL" that only sits on the fail_ctrl: path, so nvme_fc_ctrl_free() frees the options and nvmf_create_ctrl() frees them a second time: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in nvmf_free_options+0x30/0x190 nvmf_free_options+0x30/0x190 drivers/nvme/host/fabrics.c:1284 nvmf_create_ctrl drivers/nvme/host/fabrics.c:1374 [inline] Freed by task 5534: nvme_fc_ctrl_free drivers/nvme/host/fc.c:2374 [inline] nvme_fc_init_ctrl+0xe17/0x1450 drivers/nvme/host/fc.c:3605 nvme_add_ctrl() fails when dev_set_name() cannot allocate, so this is reachable under memory pressure or fault injection. Without KASAN the options are freed twice. Rather than clear the pointer on the second exit as well, derive ownership the way nvme-tcp, nvme-rdma and nvme-loop do, from list membership: their free_ctrl leaves the options alone unless the controller made it onto the transport list. The list cannot simply be populated on the success path as it is there. nvme-fc runs the initial connect synchronously via flush_delayed_work(), and the controller has to be reachable on rport->ctrl_list for the whole of it: nvme_fc_unregister_remoteport() needs to find it to signal connectivity loss, nvme_fc_match_disconn_ls() matches an incoming Disconnect Association LS against ctrl->association_id, which is only assigned during that window, nvme_fc_resume_controller() needs it on remoteport re-registration, and nvme_fc_existing_controller() uses it to reject a duplicate connect racing the one in flight. Keep the insertion where it is and add a fail_unlist: label, falling into fail_ctrl:, for the error paths that run after it. The earlier error paths never reach the insertion and keep using fail_ctrl: directly, so the list is only touched where the controller is actually on it. nvme_fc_ctrl_free() cannot use the plain "goto free_ctrl" the other transports use, because it still has to put_device(), release the rport reference and free the ida entry for resources taken before the insertion. Sample list_empty() under rport->lock instead. ctrl->ctrl.opts also stays valid for the whole teardown now. That is not the bug being fixed, but it removes some fragility around the old idiom: nvme_free_ctrl() calls nvme_auth_free() before ->free_ctrl(), and ctrl_max_dhchaps() dereferences ctrl->opts without a NULL check when ctrl->dhchap_ctxs is set, which nvme-fc permits since NVMF_ALLOWED_OPTS allows the dhchap options. The nvme sysfs attributes that dereference ctrl->opts, such as hostnqn and address, evaluate their is_visible() test once at device_add() time and stay readable until cdev_device_del().
INFO
Published Date :
Sept. 16, 2026, 11:17 a.m.
Last Modified :
Sept. 16, 2026, 11:17 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-89974
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
No affected product recoded yet
Solution
- Adjust nvme-fc error paths to manage fabric options correctly.
- Ensure fabric options are not freed twice.
- Update controller list membership logic.
- Modify free_ctrl to handle specific resource cleanup.
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-2026-89974.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-89974 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-2026-89974
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).
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The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-89974 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-89974 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.
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New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Sep. 16, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nvme-fc: fix double free of fabrics options when nvme_add_ctrl() fails nvmf_create_ctrl() owns the fabrics options and frees them whenever ->create_ctrl() returns an error, so a transport must not free them on its own error paths. nvme-fc tracks this by testing ctrl->ctrl.opts in nvme_fc_ctrl_free(), which requires nvme_fc_init_ctrl() to clear that pointer on every error exit. The coupling is implicit, and commit 1a9e218195a5 ("nvme: split device add from initialization") broke it by adding a second error exit. When nvme_add_ctrl() fails, nvme_fc_init_ctrl() jumps to out_put_ctrl:, past the "ctrl->ctrl.opts = NULL" that only sits on the fail_ctrl: path, so nvme_fc_ctrl_free() frees the options and nvmf_create_ctrl() frees them a second time: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in nvmf_free_options+0x30/0x190 nvmf_free_options+0x30/0x190 drivers/nvme/host/fabrics.c:1284 nvmf_create_ctrl drivers/nvme/host/fabrics.c:1374 [inline] Freed by task 5534: nvme_fc_ctrl_free drivers/nvme/host/fc.c:2374 [inline] nvme_fc_init_ctrl+0xe17/0x1450 drivers/nvme/host/fc.c:3605 nvme_add_ctrl() fails when dev_set_name() cannot allocate, so this is reachable under memory pressure or fault injection. Without KASAN the options are freed twice. Rather than clear the pointer on the second exit as well, derive ownership the way nvme-tcp, nvme-rdma and nvme-loop do, from list membership: their free_ctrl leaves the options alone unless the controller made it onto the transport list. The list cannot simply be populated on the success path as it is there. nvme-fc runs the initial connect synchronously via flush_delayed_work(), and the controller has to be reachable on rport->ctrl_list for the whole of it: nvme_fc_unregister_remoteport() needs to find it to signal connectivity loss, nvme_fc_match_disconn_ls() matches an incoming Disconnect Association LS against ctrl->association_id, which is only assigned during that window, nvme_fc_resume_controller() needs it on remoteport re-registration, and nvme_fc_existing_controller() uses it to reject a duplicate connect racing the one in flight. Keep the insertion where it is and add a fail_unlist: label, falling into fail_ctrl:, for the error paths that run after it. The earlier error paths never reach the insertion and keep using fail_ctrl: directly, so the list is only touched where the controller is actually on it. nvme_fc_ctrl_free() cannot use the plain "goto free_ctrl" the other transports use, because it still has to put_device(), release the rport reference and free the ida entry for resources taken before the insertion. Sample list_empty() under rport->lock instead. ctrl->ctrl.opts also stays valid for the whole teardown now. That is not the bug being fixed, but it removes some fragility around the old idiom: nvme_free_ctrl() calls nvme_auth_free() before ->free_ctrl(), and ctrl_max_dhchaps() dereferences ctrl->opts without a NULL check when ctrl->dhchap_ctxs is set, which nvme-fc permits since NVMF_ALLOWED_OPTS allows the dhchap options. The nvme sysfs attributes that dereference ctrl->opts, such as hostnqn and address, evaluate their is_visible() test once at device_add() time and stay readable until cdev_device_del(). Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/89xxx/CVE-2026-89974.json">CVE-2026-89974</a> Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/56e6279266f6962bb2d38a54397e3c605165b0c5 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5f89d68c00ccd1b25151da0bf660012380c2bad9 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7df913a7ced5d7349f0b23bdcf25ad54fe83a1c1 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8bd14aa065112b4d523bea690027c7527a6224f6