False I/O success via completion-status race
Published Oct 28, 2026 · Updated Oct 28, 2026
Linux dm-crypt has a race condition that allows attackers to have failed reads or writes reported as successful during I/O completion. In drivers/md/dm-crypt.c, crypt_dec_pending reads io->error before decrementing the pending reference count, allowing a concurrent completion to update the error after the saved status becomes stale. An active dm-crypt device, an I/O failure, and concurrent completion are required; attacker control of the timing is not established.
Summary
What happened
Linux dm-crypt has a race condition that allows attackers to have failed reads or writes reported as successful during I/O completion. In drivers/md/dm-crypt.c, crypt_dec_pending reads io->error before decrementing the pending reference count, allowing a concurrent completion to update the error after the saved status becomes stale. An active dm-crypt device, an I/O failure, and concurrent completion are required; attacker control of the timing is not established.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-99136
- Published
- Oct 28, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 28, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- Unavailable
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 28, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 28, 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=2.6.28.9 <2.6.29
- Affected versionversion=2.6.29
- Affected versionversion=9c8f3fcd3ffd3283cc0971c8919058356f20a963
- Affected versionversion=b35f8caa0890169000fec22902290d9a15274cbd <148845aa1921d95ef5dc851c76e6a284f6657df6
- Affected versionversion=b35f8caa0890169000fec22902290d9a15274cbd <4f16bb982b27b9f5a15301f622c318001fe521f8
- Affected versionversion=b35f8caa0890169000fec22902290d9a15274cbd <ac5d887ab93592fc5e3605fe30c1d8d232d609b3
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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Attacks
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Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
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