* [CVE-2026-90180][MODERATE 7.0] block: mtip32xx: synchronize ioctls with device removal [ Upstream
@ 2026-09-18 9:17 21% AL-KERNEL
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From: AL-KERNEL @ 2026-09-18 9:17 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: kernel-cve
CVE: CVE-2026-90180
Priority: MODERATE 7.0
AL-KERNEL base severity: MODERATE
KPANIC flag: YES
Patch: block: mtip32xx: synchronize ioctls with device removal [ Upstream
Commit: 521afbd936ac256b7531470b0b9aa96abf9cd853
Upstream patch: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=521afbd936ac256b7531470b0b9aa96abf9cd853
Original CVE announcement: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/?q=CVE-2026-90180
Analysis date: Fri, 18 Sep 2026 05:17:13 -0400
ActionableScore: 5
ActionableScore lower bound: 4
Actionable bucket: Actionable Moderate / Strong Important candidate requiring manual review
Manual review required: YES
Summary:
No one-sentence report phrase was found.
======================================================================
ABOUT THIS REPORT
======================================================================
The original Linux kernel CVE announcement for CVE-2026-90180 is available here:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/?q=CVE-2026-90180
The original announcement does not normally provide a security severity
estimate, CVSS assessment, or enough information to determine whether the
reported kernel bug represents a practically relevant security issue.
This report was generated by AL-KERNEL, an AI-assisted Linux kernel
vulnerability analysis system developed by Alexander Larkin. It combines
an autonomous classifier with LLM-assisted technical analysis and a
separate ActionableScore mechanism.
The purpose of this report is to prioritize Linux kernel CVEs before
manual review, identify cases that require prompt investigation, and
support automatic closure of issues that are unlikely to have meaningful
security impact.
Published priority for this report: MODERATE 7.0
Manual review required: YES
A detailed explanation of the methodology and priority rules is included
at the end of this message.
======================================================================
AL-KERNEL CLASSIFICATION RESULT
======================================================================
CVE-2026-90180 MODERATE https://www.kernelcve.org/list/?q=CVE-2026-90180 CHECK WITH IMPACT FROM ORIG NN LOW Maybe valid. Check manually. Hints by AL-KERNEL: The best (paranoid) CVSS is 'AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H';CWE-362;*CWE-416;CWE-667;Other CVSS 'AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H';BEST CVSS score: '7';DESCR 'A race in the mtip32xx block driver can allow an ioctl path to continue after device removal has started. The ioctl handler checked REMOVE_PENDING before entering mtip_hw_ioctl, but removal could set the flag immediately afterward and free the port data in mtip_hw_exit while the in flight ioctl still dereferenced it. This is a use-after-free candidate rather than a simple NULL pointer crash, so the impact is at least local denial of service and may require manual review for possible memory corruption or privilege escalation. For the CVSS the PR:L is selected because a local process with access to an already-open block device or delegated device node permissions may reach the ioctl handler, while reliable triggering still depends on the device removal race. The issue is not network reachable. Impact is at least kernel crash DoS. For the paranoid score, choose the highest still-defensible interpretation supported by the UAF class and patch context, with preference for manual-review sensitivity over autoclosed false negatives.';YES REQUIRES MANUAL CHECK; ,and ActionableScore result is Actionable Moderate / Strong Important candidate requiring manual review (with actual score 5) YES LOCK INIT SIMPLEFIX HARDWARE TEST KPANIC INCREASED_TO_MODERATE7_FROM_LOW_BASED_ON_GUESSCVSS_AND_ACTIONABLESCOREHIGHER4 NO NO checked
======================================================================
ACTIONABLESCORE ANALYSIS
======================================================================
ActionableScore=5
ActionableScoreLower=4
PrimitiveClass=CLASS_B
RealUAF=YES
HostAdminRequired=UNKNOWN
NamespaceScopedPrivilege=NO
ImportantCandidate=YES
ManualReview=REQUIRED
AutoDowngradeAllowed=NO
1. ActionableScore
* Raw conservative score: 2
* Conservative score: 4
* Raw paranoid score: 3
* Paranoid score: 5
* Final recommended bucket: **Actionable Moderate / Strong Important candidate requiring manual review**::
Conservative arithmetic: +2 real UAF / lifetime violation, +1 realistic kernel crash, -1 one-shot teardown race with device removal. Raw 2. Applied Real UAF floor 4 because host-admin-equivalent privilege is not positively established and the stale reference is an active driver object used by ioctl processing.
Paranoid arithmetic: +2 real UAF / lifetime violation, +1 realistic kernel crash, +1 active structured ioctl-path concern, -1 one-shot teardown race. Raw 3. Applied Real UAF floor 5 because the stale object is consumed in an active ioctl path rather than only a passive destructor, and post-lifetime exploitation leverage is unresolved.
2. Signal breakdown
Positive signals:
* +2 Real UAF / active lifetime violation. Removal can free dd->port in mtip_hw_exit() while an in-flight ioctl still dereferences it through mtip_hw_ioctl().
* +1 Reliable kernel crash / strong DoS. A stale port dereference during ioctl processing can realistically produce an Oops or panic.
* +1 Paranoid active structured ioctl-path concern. The stale object is not only a fixed passive buffer. It is a driver port structure consumed by an ioctl command path, with user-selected ioctl operations and arguments potentially affecting the stale-use path.
Negative signals:
* -1 Hard or narrow timing. The vulnerable window depends on an ioctl racing with PCI device removal after REMOVE_PENDING was checked but before mtip_hw_exit() frees the port.
Non-awarded signals:
* Controlled reclaim is not demonstrated.
* Arbitrary read/write is not demonstrated.
* Callback or function-pointer control is not demonstrated.
* Remote reachability is not established.
* Confidentiality and integrity are not awarded as direct signals because no disclosure, protected-object modification, or arbitrary write primitive is shown.
* Extra availability is not awarded because the same crash is already counted once.
* Concrete repeated release/refcount signal is not awarded. The patch shows stale dereference/use of dd->port, not a second put/release/refcount mutation on the same dangling reference.
* Structured stale-object leverage is only used as a paranoid unresolved concern, not as a strong exploitation primitive.
* Weak LPE is not separately awarded because privilege escalation is not demonstrated and would require additional exploitation primitives.
Repeated release/refcount check:
* First release can end lifetime: not applicable to a repeated-release pattern.
* Exact same reference survives to a second lifetime mutation: not established.
* Second operation is a real lifetime/refcount mutation: no.
* Concrete repeated release/refcount +1 awarded: no.
* Paranoid repeated-refcount leverage +1 awarded: no.
* FLOOR 5 applied: yes, but due active ioctl stale-object processing, not due repeated release/refcount.
3. Reachability analysis
The reachable path is local ioctl access to an already-open mtip32xx block device while PCI device removal is in progress. The commit explicitly says an already open block device can reach the handlers while del_gendisk() is in progress.
Host-admin-equivalent privilege is not positively established for the ioctl caller itself, because an already-open device file may remain usable by a non-admin process depending on device-node permissions and prior access. However, the complete trigger also requires the device removal phase. The supplied patch does not prove that the same below-host-admin attacker can initiate PCI removal. Therefore HostAdminRequired is UNKNOWN rather than YES or NO.
No namespace-scoped capability path is shown. This is a PCI/block-device driver path, not a network namespace or user namespace managed object, so NamespaceScopedPrivilege is NO.
Prior setup likely includes the presence of Micron RealSSD PCIe hardware and a created block device. The exact deployment frequency is specialized, but a rare-hardware penalty was not applied because the supplied evidence does not establish physical-only attacker requirements for the already-open ioctl side.
The race is a teardown race. It is narrower than a repeatedly attacker-controlled create/free loop because removal is a one-time transition unless the device can be repeatedly reprobed or hot-removed by a privileged actor.
4. Primitive and severity interpretation
The exact primitive is a race-based use-after-free / stale post-lifetime use of dd->port. The ioctl path checks REMOVE_PENDING, then removal can set the bit and free the port in mtip_hw_exit(), while the in-flight ioctl continues into mtip_hw_ioctl() and dereferences the freed port.
This is an active structured object rather than a simple NULL pointer. The stale object is part of the block driver protocol/device state and is consumed by ioctl handling. It is not, however, a demonstrated controlled-reclaim primitive.
This is not an ordinary repeated-release/refcount UAF. There is no visible second kref_put(), put(), free(), or refcount decrement through the same dangling reference. The demonstrated operation is stale dereference/use.
PrimitiveClass is CLASS_B because a real kernel lifetime violation exists, but no CLASS_A primitive such as controlled reclaim, arbitrary write, callback control, refcount takeover, or demonstrated LPE is established.
Demonstrated consequence is local kernel crash / DoS. Speculative consequence is possible memory corruption or privilege escalation if stale port memory can be usefully reclaimed or if ioctl-controlled operations consume attacker-shaped replacement state. That stronger path is not proven by the patch.
ImportantCandidate is YES because the bug is a concrete active-object UAF in a user-reachable ioctl path with unresolved post-lifetime behavior. AutoDowngradeAllowed is NO because automatic closure would discard a real kernel lifetime primitive whose exploitation leverage is not fully resolved.
Likely operational severity is Actionable Moderate, with manual review needed to decide whether it remains DoS-only or should be treated as Important in a product where non-admin users can keep the device open and removal can be induced or occurs naturally.
5. One-sentence report phrase
A race in the mtip32xx block driver can let an in-flight ioctl dereference dd->port after device removal has freed it, creating a local use-after-free that can crash the kernel and needs manual review for possible exploitation beyond DoS.
6. Manual review recommendation
MANUAL CHECK REQUIRED
Reason: this is a real active-object UAF in an ioctl path, not only a warning or resource leak. Controlled reclaim and LPE are not demonstrated, but the stale use occurs in active driver command handling and should not be automatically downgraded.
7. Call-site confidence
Call-site confidence: medium
======================================================================
UPSTREAM PATCH SUMMARY
======================================================================
Patch: block: mtip32xx: synchronize ioctls with device removal [ Upstream
Commit: 521afbd936ac256b7531470b0b9aa96abf9cd853
Upstream URL: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=521afbd936ac256b7531470b0b9aa96abf9cd853
Changed files:
drivers/block/mtip32xx/mtip32xx.c
drivers/block/mtip32xx/mtip32xx.h
Diff excerpt:
Not included in this email. See the upstream URL for the full patch.
Full patch:
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=521afbd936ac256b7531470b0b9aa96abf9cd853
======================================================================
DETAILED REPORT METHODOLOGY
======================================================================
The original Linux kernel CVE announcement for CVE-2026-90180 can be found here:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/?q=CVE-2026-90180
The original CVE announcement normally does not include a security-level
estimate. In particular, it may not contain a CVSS assessment, an impact
level, or enough information to determine whether the reported bug is a
practically relevant security issue. One purpose of this parallel CVE list
is to provide that missing technical and prioritization information.
The original goal of the AL-KERNEL project was to prioritize Linux kernel
CVE analysis automatically before manual review. The system can also help
identify non-security issues that may be suitable for automatic closure.
This report was generated by AL-KERNEL, an AI-assisted Linux kernel
vulnerability analysis system developed by Alexander Larkin.
The first analysis stage combines an autonomous classifier with additional
LLM-based analysis. The autonomous classifier runs locally on a CPU and is
based on a backpropagation neural network. Together, these mechanisms
produce a technical vulnerability description, identify likely weakness
types, estimate CVSS severity, and provide input for ActionableScore.
Two CVSS estimates are retained because incomplete kernel vulnerability
information often permits more than one defensible interpretation:
Conservative CVSS vector: AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
The Best / paranoid CVSS vector: AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
The Best / paranoid CVSS score: 7
The conservative vector represents a lower-impact interpretation.
The Best/paranoid vector intentionally represents a plausible upper-bound
interpretation and should not automatically be treated as demonstrated
real-world impact.
CVSS may also need to be adjusted for a particular Linux deployment,
because actual reachability, privileges, enabled kernel configuration,
hardware, namespaces, exposed device nodes, and other environmental
conditions can differ significantly between systems.
A separate ActionableScore mechanism evaluates practical remediation
urgency. Its analysis may include reachability, attack prerequisites,
subsystem exposure, memory-corruption characteristics, denial-of-service
reliability, and possible confidentiality, integrity, or
privilege-escalation impact.
Conservative ActionableScore: 4
Paranoid ActionableScore: 5
The final base severity is taken directly from the second tab-separated
field of the AL-KERNEL classification result. ActionableScore does not
replace or independently override that final AL-KERNEL decision, and
if ActionableScore adjusted impact level of ALKERNEL, then you would see
self-readable flags above like INCREASED_TO_HIGH_BASED_ON_ACTIONABLESCOREHIGHEREQTHAN7.
For an AL-KERNEL result of MODERATE, this report uses the following
additional presentation split:
ActionableScore below 5 -> MODERATE REGULAR
ActionableScore 5 or more -> MODERATE 7.0
The distinction between MODERATE REGULAR and MODERATE 7.0 makes it
possible to identify Moderate issues that should receive manual analysis
and fixes before lower-priority MODERATE REGULAR issues. In many cases,
MODERATE REGULAR fixes may wait for a later rebase or routine update.
There is one override in which MODERATE REGULAR becomes MODERATE 7.0
even when the ActionableScore is below 5. When the AL-KERNEL result
contains the KPANIC flag, a MODERATE result is always presented as
MODERATE 7.0. The KPANIC flag selected with few regexps without
usage of AI at all, so it helps to detect cases when Kernel Crash happens
and similar (to filter False-Negative results from the LLM usage).
KPANIC indicates that a reliable kernel crash, kernel panic, or similarly
serious kernel availability impact was identified by the classification
workflow.
AL-KERNEL base severity for this report: MODERATE
KPANIC detected for this report: YES
Published priority for this report (same as in Subject): MODERATE 7.0
These results are intended to support engineering triage. They are
machine-generated estimates, and cases marked for manual review should
be validated by a human security engineer before final disposition.
For more info read docs linked from here: https://kernelcve.org/
(and you can submit you own patch there to generate such a report
for non-existant CVE-id yet).
Note that in many cases this AI tool selects higher severity, than
real is (means you can expect Importants instead of Moderate 7.0 or
Moderates 7.0 instead of regular Moderates). If you see such cases,
please use reply email interface to add additional manual analyses
info to this particular CVE.
And please, please, let me know when you see Lows instead of Importants
or Important instead of Low (because particular for such cases I
need to tune this AI tool to make it better for this one and next similar).
My contact email for such notifications is [email protected] (and both
send reply to CVE record itself too and see "reply" button below for howto reply).
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