SUNRPC: fix gssx_dec_option_array error path bugs
CVE-2026-89544 · published 11 Sept 2026
How serious is it
- Severity: high, CVSS score 7.5 out of 10.
- No exploit prediction (EPSS) score yet.
- Not on the CISA list of exploited vulnerabilities.
- No public exploit in Exploit-DB.
Is your app affected by CVE-2026-89544?
Paste this prompt into Claude Code, Cursor or any AI coding tool: it runs a free Shippable scan of your project and fixes what it finds. Built with Lovable, Bolt or v0? Scan your live app. Or upload your package file.
Who is affected
- Linux Linux: 5e6013ae2c8d420faea553d363935f65badd32c3 to < 8c56a46db3b7523f13e167c3e2c6e3c47a87dcb3, 3cfcfc102a5e57b021b786a755a38935e357797d to < fb30241f7ccace372ee83017891549f23a715581, 3cfcfc102a5e57b021b786a755a38935e357797d to < 3ff45361e9469e85c0f86b8e7b82c63e50bab8ef, 3cfcfc102a5e57b021b786a755a38935e357797d to < f85a83774d7f4e2ac71c0c384df0dfb6f7d0179a
- Linux Linux: 6.9
How to check
- Find out whether you run the affected product and which version, then compare it with the versions above.
How to fix
Copies a prompt for Claude Code, Cursor or Codex that asks it to check whether you run this product.
- Apply the vendor's update or mitigation from the references below. If there is none yet, limit exposure of the affected service until there is.
- If a vulnerable version was live, check your logs and rotate the secrets that server could read.
The advisory
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
SUNRPC: fix gssx_dec_option_array error path bugs
Four coupled defects in the gssx XDR option-array decoder make the
error paths unsafe: a NULL deref in the caller, a refcount leak on
the decoded group_info, and a latent use-after-free that the leak
fix would otherwise expose.
gssx_dec_option_array() sets oa->count = 1 before allocating
oa->data. If that allocation fails, -ENOMEM is returned with
oa->count == 1 and oa->data == NULL. All other error paths jump
to free_oa: which frees oa->data and NULLs it but also leaves
oa->count == 1. The caller trusts the count:
gssp_accept_sec_context_upcall()
gssx_dec_accept_sec_context()
gssx_dec_option_array() /* fails, count=1 data=NULL */
data = res.options.data[0].value /* NULL deref */
Independently, free_creds: releases the partially decoded svc_cred
with a bare kfree(creds). gssx_dec_linux_creds() installs a
groups_alloc() result into creds->cr_group_info; that object is
kvmalloc-backed and refcounted, and only put_group_info() reaches
kvfree(). A plain kfree(creds) drops the wrapper and leaks the
group_info allocation.
The natural fix for the leak is to call free_svc_cred(creds) before
kfree(creds), but free_svc_cred() invokes put_group_info() on
creds->cr_group_info unconditionally when non-NULL. The existing
out_free_groups: path in gssx_dec_linux_creds() already called
groups_free() on that pointer without clearing it, so once
free_svc_cred() is wired in, the subsequent put_group_info() would
touch freed memory.
Fix all four together:
- Move the oa->count = 1 assignment below the oa->data allocation
so it is never set when oa->data is NULL.
- Reset oa->count to 0 at free_oa: so count and data stay
coherent and the caller sees an empty option array.
- Call free_svc_cred(creds) before kfree(creds) at free_creds:
so the refcounted cr_group_info is released. free_svc_cred()
either NULL-guards each field explicitly (cr_group_info has
an if() check) or delegates to a helper that is NULL-safe
itself (kfree for the string fields, gss_mech_put() which
guards with if(gm) at gss_mech_switch.c:342), so it is safe
to call on a partially decoded svc_cred where only
cr_uid/cr_gid/cr_group_info have been written and everything
else is zero from kzalloc.
- In gssx_dec_linux_creds()'s out_free_groups: path, release
cr_group_info with put_group_info() rather than groups_free()
so the teardown matches free_svc_cred()'s refcount-aware path,
and clear the pointer so a later free_svc_cred() on the same
creds does not release it a second time.
Check your whole app
Dependencies are only half of it. Free and read-only: before you push, run npx shippable-dev scan localhost:3000 in your project folder, no account needed. For your live app, you prove it's yours with a one-line tag first.
References
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/8c56a46db3b7523f13e167c3e2c6e3c47a87dcb3
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/fb30241f7ccace372ee83017891549f23a715581
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/3ff45361e9469e85c0f86b8e7b82c63e50bab8ef
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/f85a83774d7f4e2ac71c0c384df0dfb6f7d0179a
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/5e9a94539b1ec17a89177d952badfd0d844d694a
Merged from CVE List. Last updated 26 Oct 2026. All vulnerabilities · RSS · JSON