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qla2xxx Driver EUVDEUVD-2026-80449

| CVE-2026-89849 HIGH
2026-09-16 Linux GHSA-3v4r-7crj-gvc7
8.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: Linux
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Attacker controls FC fabric/target or HBA firmware
  2. Delivery
    Deliver unexpected STATUS_TYPE IOCB for non-SCSI handle
  3. Exploit
    Fast path reads garbage scmd.cmd pointer
  4. Execution
    Wild pointer dereference in kernel
  5. Impact
    Host crash / memory corruption

Vulnerability Assessment

Exploitation Conditions

Requires the host to run the qla2xxx driver with a physical QLogic Fibre Channel HBA present. Exploitation depends on the adapter firmware delivering an unexpected STATUS_TYPE completion IOCB that maps to a non-SCSI outstanding handle (e.g., one whose srb type is SRB_NVME_CMD, SRB_BIDI_CMD, SRB_TM_CMD, or another non-SCSI/IOCB layout) so that the overlaid sp->u.scmd.cmd reads as a non-NULL garbage pointer. This is not reachable from software configuration alone - it requires influence over adapter firmware behavior or the FC fabric, making it an adjacent/hardware-path condition rather than default remote exploitation. LIMITING factors: no network-facing service is involved; the attacker must be on the storage fabric or control firmware, the malformed IOCB must coincide with a live non-SCSI outstanding handle, and the practical outcome is a crash rather than reliable code execution.

Impact

This is a defensive hardening fix ('Reject non-SCSI SRB on status IOCB fast path') for a wild-pointer dereference in the QLogic qla2xxx Fibre Channel HBA driver, not a remotely weaponizable memory-corruption primitive. The vendor CVSS of 8.8 (AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) substantially overstates real-world risk. The trigger is firmware delivering an *unexpected* STATUS_TYPE IOCB for a non-SCSI handle so that sp->u.scmd.cmd reads as non-NULL garbage from an overlaid srb union - this is a firmware/host-side condition, not a clean packet-level network attack. AC:L is wrong: producing an out-of-spec IOCB that lands on a non-SCSI handle is an unusual, hard-to-steer condition (AC:H). C:H/I:H are dubious for a wild-pointer dereference whose most likely outcome is a kernel panic/crash (A:H), with confidentiality/integrity impact incidental at best. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public PoC are present, consistent with an obscure, hardware-triggered kernel bug rather than an exploited one. Net: no public exploit identified at time of analysis; realistic priority is low-to-moderate and confined to environments running QLogic FC HBAs, with malfunctioning firmware being at least as likely a trigger as a deliberate attacker.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A malicious or malfunctioning Fibre Channel fabric/target (or compromised HBA firmware) causes the adapter to deliver an unexpected STATUS_TYPE completion IOCB referencing a non-SCSI outstanding handle. The kernel's qla2x00_status_entry() falls through to the SCSI fast path, reads a garbage command pointer from the overlaid srb union, and dereferences it, most likely crashing the host. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.4% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 16, 2026

Wild-pointer dereference in the Linux kernel's qla2xxx QLogic Fibre Channel HBA driver lets an unexpected STATUS_TYPE completion IOCB reach a SCSI-only fast path, where the srb union is reinterpreted so sp->u.scmd.cmd reads as a non-NULL garbage pointer and is dereferenced. Only hosts running the qla2xxx driver with a physical QLogic FC HBA are exposed, and only when the adapter firmware or FC fabric delivers a mis-typed status IOCB that coincides with a live non-SCSI outstanding handle; the assessed vector is CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H, so the realistic outcome is a kernel crash rather than reliable code execution. No public exploit code or confirmed active exploitation has been identified at time of analysis, and vendor patches are available for all maintained stable branches.

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor-released kernel patch: upgrade to Linux 5.15.221, 6.1.188, 6.6.157, 6.12.110, 6.18.51, 7.2.5 or 7.3-rc1 (or later), or cherry-pick the upstream fix commit dd30706e73b70d67e88fdaca688db7a3374fd5de / the matching stable backports listed in the references at https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9204fb0888374083be74f799049649a17eab4191 and the other git.kernel.org stable links, with the advisory mirrored at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-89849. Because the trigger requires adapter firmware or FC-fabric influence to deliver a malformed STATUS_TYPE IOCB for a non-SCSI outstanding handle, the practical compensating controls are architectural rather than software: keep QLogic adapter firmware and any FC switch/SAN fabric management plane patched and restricted to trusted administrators, since a hostile firmware image or fabric peer is the precondition for exploitation; segment and zone the Fibre Channel fabric so untrusted initiators cannot deliver status traffic to the HBA, accepting the operational cost of tighter zoning; or, where the qla2xxx HBA is not required, disable/blacklist the qla2xxx module (modprobe.d blacklist) and use a different storage path - this removes the attack surface entirely but costs the FC connectivity. Simply restricting local user access does not help, because the assessed CVSS vector is adjacent-network, unauthenticated (AV:A/PR:N/AC:H), so this should be treated as a hardening fix for a crash-prone wild pointer rather than a remotely weaponizable memory-corruption primitive.

Affected VersionsENISA

Linux patch: 6.12.110
Linux patch: 7.2.5
Linux dd30706e73b70d67e88fdaca688db7a3374fd5de <0f41d07d72f2245208c45374ca8d0a1846cad667
Linux dd30706e73b70d67e88fdaca688db7a3374fd5de <b7418198b45b327194b97f856fe8ea8daa91f3fd
Linux 5.15
Linux patch: 5.15.221
Linux patch: 7.3-rc1
Linux dd30706e73b70d67e88fdaca688db7a3374fd5de <e93aa3c5125d9a4352ac0fa8ba4a7f8f87881805
Linux patch: 6.6.157
Linux dd30706e73b70d67e88fdaca688db7a3374fd5de <e38041b47c29316ba79b645e2ae0b713d216b1db
Linux dd30706e73b70d67e88fdaca688db7a3374fd5de <29f1f9ad9e354cd0b6e4f6fc75ba09162d6a04d9
Linux dd30706e73b70d67e88fdaca688db7a3374fd5de <9204fb0888374083be74f799049649a17eab4191
Linux patch: 0
Linux dd30706e73b70d67e88fdaca688db7a3374fd5de <8f0e31e7a41376abe7d6ca7cbee07fcf9de071e6
Linux patch: 6.1.188
Linux patch: 6.18.51

Affected Packages

euvd linux no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

The affected code is qla2x00_status_entry() in the Linux kernel's qla2xxx driver for QLogic Fibre Channel host bus adapters. That function receives completion status IOCBs from adapter firmware and is expected to filter out non-TYPE_SRB entries plus the SRB_NVME_CMD, SRB_BIDI_CMD and SRB_TM_CMD command types before falling through to a fast path that assumes the command is an SRB_SCSI_CMD. The fast path - starting with qla_chk_edif_rx_sa_delete_pending() and continuing into subsequent handling - evaluates GET_CMD_SP(sp), i.e. sp->u.scmd.cmd. Because the srb 'u' union overlays the SCSI command pointer with other command layouts (bsg_job, iocb_cmd), a status IOCB delivered for a non-SCSI handle causes sp->u.scmd.cmd to be interpreted as a garbage pointer instead of a valid SCSI command. That non-NULL garbage value bypasses the NULL checks in qla_chk_edif_rx_sa_delete_pending() and at the cp == NULL test, producing a wild pointer dereference. No CWE was supplied, but the root-cause class is best described as a type-confusion / improper-validation flaw in a tagged union (CWE-843) whose direct consequence is an invalid pointer dereference (CWE-476/CWE-822 style). The upstream fix rejects any SRB whose type is not SRB_SCSI_CMD before entering the fast path, while deliberately leaving the outstanding_cmds slot untouched so a genuinely non-SCSI command still completes through its proper handler. The upstream fix commit is dd30706e73b70d67e88fdaca688db7a3374fd5de, and the vulnerability maps to ENISA EUVD-2026-80449.

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Severity by source

Vendor (Linux) PRIMARY 8.8 HIGH
AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 6.4 MEDIUM

Trigger comes from the FC fabric/adapter firmware (AV:A) and requires an unusual, hard-to-steer malformed IOCB coinciding with a non-SCSI handle (AC:H); impact is a wild-pointer crash (A:H) with only incidental C/I.

3.1 AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H
4.0 AV:A/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE 4.7 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Primary rating from Vendor (Linux).

CVSS VectorVendor: Linux

Attack Vector
Adjacent
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

4
CVSS changed
Sep 16, 2026 - 15:22 NVD
8.8 (HIGH)
Patch available
Sep 16, 2026 - 11:03 EUVD
CVE Published
Sep 16, 2026 - 10:31 cve.org
HIGH 8.8
CVE Published
Sep 16, 2026 - 10:31 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)

DescriptionCVE.org

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

scsi: qla2xxx: Reject non-SCSI SRB on status IOCB fast path

qla2x00_status_entry() filters out non-TYPE_SRB entries and the SRB_NVME_CMD, SRB_BIDI_CMD and SRB_TM_CMD types, then falls through to a SCSI fast path that assumes the command is an SRB_SCSI_CMD. The first thing on that path, qla_chk_edif_rx_sa_delete_pending(), and the subsequent handling both evaluate GET_CMD_SP(sp), i.e. sp->u.scmd.cmd.

The srb u union overlays the SCSI command pointer with other command layouts (bsg_job, iocb_cmd). If firmware delivers an unexpected STATUS_TYPE IOCB for a non-SCSI handle, sp->u.scmd.cmd can read as a non-NULL garbage pointer, bypassing the NULL checks in qla_chk_edif_rx_sa_delete_pending() and at the cp == NULL test, and leading to a wild pointer dereference.

Reject any SRB whose type is not SRB_SCSI_CMD before entering the fast path. The outstanding_cmds slot is left untouched so a genuinely non-SCSI command still completes through its proper handler.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A high-severity flaw in the Linux kernel's qla2xxx driver for QLogic Fibre Channel HBAs can cause a kernel crash on affected servers when a mis-typed status is delivered by the adapter firmware or FC fabric. Organizations running Linux hosts with physical QLogic FC HBAs face unplanned downtime that disrupts storage connectivity and availability. Vendor patches are available and no public exploit has been identified, but the potential for operational disruption warrants immediate remediation.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.4%
Top 71% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
niche QLogic Fibre Channel HBA driver, enterprise SAN hosts only
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.4%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Controlled
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

44
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +44
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Moderate
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.0 Affected

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