[CVE-2026-97528][MODERATE 7.0] scsi: qla2xxx: Unlink NVMe unsol ctx before freeing on LS reject error [ Upstream

[CVE-2026-97528][MODERATE 7.0] scsi: qla2xxx: Unlink NVMe unsol ctx before freeing on LS reject error [ Upstream

[AL-KERNEL]

CVE: CVE-2026-97528
Priority: MODERATE 7.0
AL-KERNEL base severity: MODERATE
KPANIC flag: YES
Patch: scsi: qla2xxx: Unlink NVMe unsol ctx before freeing on LS reject error [ Upstream
Commit: a95fc5f1c12bba1dbff72bd2611e7fad0758831b
Upstream patch: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=a95fc5f1c12bba1dbff72bd2611e7fad0758831b
Original CVE announcement: https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/?q=CVE-2026-97528
Analysis date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 15:53:41 -0400
ActionableScore: 4
ActionableScore lower bound: unknown
Actionable bucket: Borderline / manual review recommended
Manual review required: YES

Summary:
No one-sentence report phrase was found.

======================================================================
ABOUT THIS REPORT
======================================================================

The original Linux kernel CVE announcement for CVE-2026-97528 is available here:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/?q=CVE-2026-97528

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-2026-97528	MODERATE	https://www.kernelcve.org/list/?q=CVE-2026-97528 CHECK WITH IMPACT FROM ORIG NN MODERATE	Maybe valid. Check manually. Hints by AL-KERNEL: The best (paranoid) CVSS is 'AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H';*CWE-416;CWE-825;*CWE-672;Other CVSS 'AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H';BEST CVSS score: '7.5';DESCR 'A use-after-free can occur in the qla2xxx NVMe over Fibre Channel unsolicited LS response path because qla_nvme_xmt_ls_rsp frees an unsolicited context while it is still linked in fcport unsol_ctx_head. A later list_add_tail or list_del operation for the same FC port can dereference the freed list node, corrupt kernel list metadata, and cause a kernel crash. The issue requires a specific error path during LS response transmission and subsequent list activity, so AC:H is appropriate. For the CVSS the PR:N because an attacker with access to the relevant Fibre Channel fabric does not need local privileges on the target host. AV:A is used because NVMe over Fibre Channel is normally reachable only from an attached or trusted SAN participant and is not generally exposed to the public Internet. Impact is at least denial of service through kernel memory corruption. In the worst case the stale list write may provide confidentiality or integrity impact and should be reviewed manually.';YES REQUIRES MANUAL CHECK; ,and ActionableScore result is Borderline / manual review recommended (with actual score 4)	YES	DANGER NVME ERRORPATH UAF HARDWARE KPANIC  KPANIC INCREASED_TO_MODERATE7_BASED_ON_GUESSCVSS	NO	NO	checked

======================================================================
ACTIONABLESCORE ANALYSIS
======================================================================

ActionableScore=4
PrimitiveClass=CLASS_B
RealUAF=YES
HostAdminRequired=UNKNOWN
NamespaceScopedPrivilege=UNKNOWN
ImportantCandidate=NO
ManualReview=RECOMMENDED
AutoDowngradeAllowed=YES

1. ActionableScore

* Raw conservative score: 4
* Conservative score: 4
* Raw paranoid score: 4
* Paranoid score: 4
* Final recommended bucket: **Borderline / manual review recommended**::

2. Signal breakdown

* +2 Real UAF and active lifetime violation. `uctx` is freed with `kfree()` while `uctx->elem` remains linked in `fcport->unsol_ctx_head`. A later list operation dereferences and writes through the freed list node.
* +1 Firmware mediated external influence. The affected path handles NVMe over Fibre Channel unsolicited LS traffic received through the qla2xxx HBA and its firmware mediated transport path. This is not treated as ordinary Internet reachable traffic.
* +1 Plausible kernel crash or strong DoS. The supplied commit explicitly states that a later `list_del()` can corrupt the list or panic the kernel.
* No direct remote reachability +2. The complete trigger requires access to the relevant Fibre Channel SAN and a qla2xxx NVMe FC deployment. It is not directly reachable from ordinary IP network traffic.
* No controlled reclaim or replacement bonus. The patch establishes that freed list storage is later modified, but does not establish attacker controlled reuse of the freed allocation or attacker controlled contents at the stale address.
* No arbitrary or directed write bonus. `list_add_tail()` performs a stale write through the freed list node, but neither the destination nor the written linkage values are shown to be attacker selectable in a security useful way.
* No structured stale object leverage bonus. The demonstrated stale use is list linkage manipulation and subsequent list corruption. No callback, operations table, sensitive pointer field, credential field, or attacker shaped replacement object is shown to be consumed.
* No Weak LPE bonus. A use-after-free alone, including a stale list write, does not establish privilege escalation leverage.
* No C or I consequence bonus. The patch does not establish disclosure, unauthorized modification of protected data, credential manipulation, or policy bypass.
* No concrete repeated release or refcount mutation +1. `kfree(uctx)` is the lifetime ending operation. The later operation is `list_add_tail()` or `list_del()` through the stale list node, not a second `put`, `kfree`, refcount decrement, or equivalent lifetime mutation on the same object.
* No FLOOR 5 applied. This is a real UAF, but the supplied evidence does not establish controlled reuse, a second lifetime mutation, active attacker shaped object consumption, or another meaningful exploitation primitive beyond stale list corruption and possible crash.
* No hard race penalty. The described failure is an ordered error path followed by later list activity. A narrow timing race is not established.
* No rare hardware penalty. The path depends on qla2xxx Fibre Channel hardware and NVMe FC deployment, but the supplied evidence does not establish that this condition itself should receive a concrete negative score rather than being reflected in reachability analysis.

3. Reachability analysis

The relevant attacker model is a participant able to send or influence NVMe over Fibre Channel unsolicited LS traffic on the affected Fibre Channel SAN. The vulnerable context is created by `qla2xxx_process_purls_iocb()` and remains in the per-port unsolicited-context list while the NVMe transport invokes the LS response callback.

The supplied evidence establishes an error path in `qla_nvme_xmt_ls_rsp()` that frees the still-linked context. It does not fully establish that an untrusted SAN participant can reliably force the LS response transmission error needed to reach that path. Therefore, the complete attacker privilege boundary is unresolved.

Host administrator privilege is not proven to be required, but below-host-admin reachability for the complete sequence is also not proven. `HostAdminRequired=UNKNOWN` is therefore appropriate. No namespace-scoped capability path is described, so `NamespaceScopedPrivilege=UNKNOWN`.

This is not an Internet-facing NVMe TCP issue. It affects systems using qla2xxx adapters with NVMe over Fibre Channel unsolicited LS support and an attacker capable of participating in or influencing the corresponding SAN fabric.

4. Primitive and severity interpretation

The exact primitive is a stale linked-list node after lifetime end:

`uctx` linked in `fcport->unsol_ctx_head`
`-> kfree(uctx)` on the LS response error path
`-> later list_add_tail()` writes through the freed `uctx->elem`
`-> later list_del()` may dereference corrupted list links and panic.

This is a real use-after-free involving active list metadata, not fixed asynchronous DMA storage. However, the demonstrated stale use is limited to list maintenance after an error-path free. The supplied material does not show controlled reclaim, attacker-shaped replacement contents, callback dispatch, arbitrary kernel read or write, refcount takeover, information disclosure, or a security-boundary bypass.

This is therefore `CLASS_B`, because an actual lifetime violation and post-free kernel write exist, but meaningful exploitation leverage beyond crash remains unproven. The demonstrated consequence is kernel list corruption and possible panic or DoS. A privilege-escalation or confidentiality/integrity consequence remains speculative and is not scored.

`ImportantCandidate=NO` is appropriate because this is currently a constrained stale-list corruption case rather than a demonstrated controlled UAF/reclaim primitive. `AutoDowngradeAllowed=YES` is acceptable because no concrete reuse, repeated lifetime mutation, protected-object corruption, or authorization bypass remains unresolved from the supplied evidence. Manual review is still recommended to determine whether a malicious FC peer can reliably force the LS-response failure and influence allocation reuse before the subsequent list operation.

5. One-sentence report phrase

A use-after-free in the qla2xxx NVMe over Fibre Channel unsolicited LS response error path leaves a freed context linked in a per-port list, so later list operations can corrupt kernel list metadata and cause a kernel panic or denial of service.

6. Manual review recommendation

MANUAL CHECK RECOMMENDED

The patch establishes a real stale-list use-after-free and post-free list write, but the supplied evidence does not establish reliable attacker control of the LS response failure path or controlled reuse of the freed allocation.

7. Call-site confidence

Call-site confidence: medium

======================================================================
UPSTREAM PATCH SUMMARY
======================================================================

Patch: scsi: qla2xxx: Unlink NVMe unsol ctx before freeing on LS reject error [ Upstream
Commit: a95fc5f1c12bba1dbff72bd2611e7fad0758831b
Upstream URL: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/commit/?id=a95fc5f1c12bba1dbff72bd2611e7fad0758831b

Changed files:
  drivers/scsi/qla2xxx/qla_nvme.c

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=a95fc5f1c12bba1dbff72bd2611e7fad0758831b

======================================================================
DETAILED REPORT METHODOLOGY
======================================================================

The original Linux kernel CVE announcement for CVE-2026-97528 can be found here:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/?q=CVE-2026-97528

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:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H
  The Best / paranoid CVSS vector: AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
  The Best / paranoid CVSS score: 7.5

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: unknown
  Paranoid ActionableScore: 4

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 alexanjelausa@gmail.com (and both
send reply to CVE record itself too and see "reply" button below for howto reply).