Kernel crash via unsynchronized configfs attribute updates
Published Sep 17, 2026 · Updated Sep 17, 2026
Race conditions in Linux null_blk allow local users to crash the kernel by changing configfs attributes during device setup. NULLB_DEVICE_ATTR() stores update configuration without locking before the configured flag is set, allowing null_add_dev() to observe inconsistent zoned settings and null_process_zoned_cmd() to dereference a NULL zones pointer. Exploitation requires administrative configfs write access and concurrent device activation; outcomes include failed device setup or a kernel crash on the first write.
Summary
What happened
Race conditions in Linux null_blk allow local users to crash the kernel by changing configfs attributes during device setup. NULLB_DEVICE_ATTR() stores update configuration without locking before the configured flag is set, allowing null_add_dev() to observe inconsistent zoned settings and null_process_zoned_cmd() to dereference a NULL zones pointer. Exploitation requires administrative configfs write access and concurrent device activation; outcomes include failed device setup or a kernel crash on the first write.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-90184
- Published
- Sep 17, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 17, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- admin
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 17, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 17, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=3bf2bd20734e3e6ffda53719a9c10fb3ee9c5ffa <32456a85995579e56c60cc53c357cda75a9d4f7c
- Affected versionversion=3bf2bd20734e3e6ffda53719a9c10fb3ee9c5ffa <4e1f23f9c33c156be7e313b40695af5a3a834739
- Affected versionversion=3bf2bd20734e3e6ffda53719a9c10fb3ee9c5ffa <6352e7ead2d8111802a554eeb94886f5a9894bb9
- Affected versionversion=3bf2bd20734e3e6ffda53719a9c10fb3ee9c5ffa <7de792b4c48fba02a36a8077032f7d5093c925e5
- Affected versionversion=3bf2bd20734e3e6ffda53719a9c10fb3ee9c5ffa <aed8af338a09a64d63b068a803c4ecfc5701dd4c
- Affected versionversion=3bf2bd20734e3e6ffda53719a9c10fb3ee9c5ffa <d3d35dd045a35991bf6fd13de5f293e6dd7bf3b3
- Affected versionversion=4.14
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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