CVE-2026-31557

Description

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel, specifically within the NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF) target's nvmet and nvmet_rdma modules. A local attacker could potentially trigger a recursive locking condition in the nvmet-wq workqueue during asynchronous event processing. This issue arises when nvmet_ctrl_free() attempts to flush an asynchronous event work while already executing on the same workqueue, leading to a deadlock. The most important consequence is a Denial of Service (DoS), causing system instability or unresponsiveness.

Statement

NVMe-oF target async events were moved off the shared workqueue to avoid a lock recursion (nvmet_rdma vs nvmet work). Red Hat advises NVMe target operators to patch; exposure is limited to configurations exporting namespaces over fabrics.

Mitigation

To mitigate this issue, prevent the nvmet module from being loaded. See https://access.redhat.com/solutions/41278 for instructions.

Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details

Info alert:Important note

CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).

The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.

CVSS v3 Score Breakdown

Red HatNVDcve.org
Base Score5.5N/A7.5
Attack VectorLocalN/ANetwork
Attack ComplexityLowN/ALow
Privileges RequiredLowN/ANone
User InteractionNoneN/ANone
ScopeUnchangedN/AUnchanged
ConfidentialityNoneN/ANone
Integrity ImpactNoneN/ANone
Availability ImpactHighN/AHigh

Vector

Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Understanding the Weakness (CWE)

Availability

Technical Impact: DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Other); DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart

Each thread of execution will "hang" and prevent tasks from completing. In some cases, CPU consumption may occur if a lock check occurs in a tight loop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Want to get errata notifications? Sign up here.