Linux Kernel CVE-2026-31437

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

netfs: Fix NULL pointer dereference in netfs_unbuffered_write() on retry

When a write subrequest is marked NETFS_SREQ_NEED_RETRY, the retry path in netfs_unbuffered_write() unconditionally calls stream->prepare_write() without checking if it is NULL.

Filesystems such as 9P do not set the prepare_write operation, so stream->prepare_write remains NULL. When get_user_pages() fails with -EFAULT and the subrequest is flagged for retry, this results in a NULL pointer dereference at fs/netfs/direct_write.c:189.

Fix this by mirroring the pattern already used in write_retry.c: if stream->prepare_write is NULL, skip renegotiation and directly reissue the subrequest via netfs_reissue_write(), which handles iterator reset, IN_PROGRESS flag, stats update and reissue internally.