CVE-2026-99256
What it is
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.
At a glance
- Exploit odds
- 0.2% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).
- Fix
- No patch or advisory is linked yet. Look at mitigations or restrict exposure.
Timeline
- PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
- Last updatedMost recent change to the record
Why it ranks here
- Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
- Exploit odds: 0.2% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
- Severity: not scored yet.
- Fix: none linked yet, which raises it.
Details
- Published
- Last modified
- Exploit probability
- 0.2% · EPSS, next 30 days
- Record status
- Received
Is it in your code?
Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.
Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2026-99256.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2026-99256. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0c7a8cad7c96012a9157a189649e569d0390f384
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/104f09e02038b0fc6bbb718b3976af029e15c1d0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2f2cfa16dd0f4179bb988139dd37d00a42324f6c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6290507ecc0dd6dd40759729cbbbd49b1d2a63c4
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/73df2ff409f3db95029982fe3656329568e3715d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8433fd005c25fd127021f67c9144a879fb585572
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bc9781c0247de107876f32929f1637db93a42b34
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f5db935d257023c3ef410bd39163b949b0e5a55d