CVE-2026-98072

Published Sep 25, 2026

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/rds: use wq_has_sleeper() in release_in_xmit() release_in_xmit() clears RDS_IN_XMIT with clear_bit_unlock() and then checks waitqueue_active() to decide whether anyone needs waking. clear_bit_unlock() is only a release operation: it orders the critical section before the bit clear, but does not order the subsequent plain load of the wait queue head after it. The waiter side does the mirror image - it adds itself to the wait queue and then tests the bit. That is the classic store-buffering pattern: the releasing CPU can read the wait queue as empty while the waiting CPU still reads the bit as set, so the sleeper is never woken. The waiters are rds_conn_shutdown() and rds_tcp_reset_callbacks(), both in uninterruptible wait_event() with no timeout. A lost wake-up strands the shutdown worker on its single-threaded workqueue until some other sender releases the bit again - and on a connection that is being torn down precisely because it failed, there may never be another sender. The barrier used to be there: release_in_xmit() did clear_bit() followed by smp_mb__after_atomic() until commit 1422f28826d2 ("rds: introduce acquire/release ordering in acquire/release_in_xmit()") folded both into clear_bit_unlock(), which strengthened the lock hand-off but silently dropped the full barrier the wake-up check depends on. The refill counterpart, release_refill() in net/rds/ib_recv.c, still carries its smp_mb__after_atomic() for exactly this reason. Use wq_has_sleeper(), which is waitqueue_active() preceded by the required full barrier.

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References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-98072? +
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/rds: use wq_has_sleeper() in release_in_xmit() release_in_xmit() clears RDS_IN_XMIT with clear_bit_unlock() and then checks waitqueue_active() to decide whether anyone needs waking. clear_bit_unlock() is only a release operation: it orders the critical section before the bit clear, but does not order the subsequent plain load of the wait queue head after it. The waiter side does the mirror image - it adds itself to the wait queue and then tests the bit. That is the classic store-buffering pattern: the releasing CPU can read the wait queue as empty while the waiting CPU still reads the bit as set, so the sleeper is never woken. The waiters are rds_conn_shutdown() and rds_tcp_reset_callbacks(), both in uninterruptible wait_event() with no timeout. A lost wake-up strands the shutdown worker on its single-threaded workqueue until some other sender releases the bit again - and on a connection that is being torn down precisely because it failed, there may never be another sender. The barrier used to be there: release_in_xmit() did clear_bit() followed by smp_mb__after_atomic() until commit 1422f28826d2 ("rds: introduce acquire/release ordering in acquire/release_in_xmit()") folded both into clear_bit_unlock(), which strengthened the lock hand-off but silently dropped the full barrier the wake-up check depends on. The refill counterpart, release_refill() in net/rds/ib_recv.c, still carries its smp_mb__after_atomic() for exactly this reason. Use wq_has_sleeper(), which is waitqueue_active() preceded by the required full barrier.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-98072? +
You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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