0.0
NA
CVE-2026-99256
dm cache: fix issue with background work locking
Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dm cache: fix issue with background work locking dm cache used a rw_semaphore for background_work_lock. Write locks on rw_semaphores have strict owner semantics, but there was no guarantee that the process that locked background_work_lock was the same process that unlocked it. This can be easily seen using a kernel compiled with CONFIG_DEBUG_RWSEMS. Given a dm cache device <cache>, run: 'dmsetup suspend <cache> && dmsetup resume <cache>'. This will trigger a kernel warning: DEBUG_RWSEMS_WARN_ON((rwsem_owner(sem) != current) && !rwsem_test_oflags(sem, RWSEM_NONSPINNABLE)) triggered by cache_resume(). To fix this, switch from a rw_semaphore to a spinlock and a wait queue. dm cache already has a wait queue and associated counter, migration_wait and nr_allocated_migrations, that was getting woken up when background work was getting completed, but wasn't actually used by anything. This is replaced by the background_work queue and counter.

INFO

Published Date :

Nov. 3, 2026, 12:17 p.m.

Last Modified :

Nov. 3, 2026, 12:17 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

No

Source :

416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-99256 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
Address race condition by replacing rw_semaphore with spinlock and wait queue.
  • Update the Linux kernel.
  • Replace rw_semaphore with spinlock and wait queue.
  • Use background_work queue and counter.
  • Ensure proper locking and unlocking semantics.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-99256 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-2026-99256 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-2026-99256 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-99256 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.

  • New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

    Nov. 03, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dm cache: fix issue with background work locking dm cache used a rw_semaphore for background_work_lock. Write locks on rw_semaphores have strict owner semantics, but there was no guarantee that the process that locked background_work_lock was the same process that unlocked it. This can be easily seen using a kernel compiled with CONFIG_DEBUG_RWSEMS. Given a dm cache device <cache>, run: 'dmsetup suspend <cache> && dmsetup resume <cache>'. This will trigger a kernel warning: DEBUG_RWSEMS_WARN_ON((rwsem_owner(sem) != current) && !rwsem_test_oflags(sem, RWSEM_NONSPINNABLE)) triggered by cache_resume(). To fix this, switch from a rw_semaphore to a spinlock and a wait queue. dm cache already has a wait queue and associated counter, migration_wait and nr_allocated_migrations, that was getting woken up when background work was getting completed, but wasn't actually used by anything. This is replaced by the background_work queue and counter.
    Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/99xxx/CVE-2026-99256.json">CVE-2026-99256</a>
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0c7a8cad7c96012a9157a189649e569d0390f384
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/104f09e02038b0fc6bbb718b3976af029e15c1d0
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2f2cfa16dd0f4179bb988139dd37d00a42324f6c
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6290507ecc0dd6dd40759729cbbbd49b1d2a63c4
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/73df2ff409f3db95029982fe3656329568e3715d
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8433fd005c25fd127021f67c9144a879fb585572
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bc9781c0247de107876f32929f1637db93a42b34
    Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f5db935d257023c3ef410bd39163b949b0e5a55d
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.