CVE-2026-89970: Linux

Critical severity, CVSS 9.8. EPSS: 0.8% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nvmet-auth: Synchronize timeout work during SQ teardown nvmet_auth_sq_free() cancels auth_expired_work with cancel_delayed_work(). If the work has already started, cancellation does not wait for the callback. Transport teardown can consequently free or reuse the queue containing struct nvmet_sq while nvmet_auth_expired_work() still accesses that SQ. Add a teardown-specific helper that synchronously drains the delayed work before freeing authentication state, and use it from nvmet_sq_destroy(). Keep the non-synchronous helper for in-band authentication state cleanup, where the SQ owner remains alive.

Affected products

• Linux Linux: from 6.0, before 6.1.188 (fixed in 6.1.188); from 6.2, before 6.6.157 (fixed in 6.6.157); from 6.7, before 6.12.110 (fixed in 6.12.110); from 6.13, before 6.18.51 (fixed in 6.18.51); from 6.19, before 7.2.5 (fixed in 7.2.5)

Published 2026-09-16. Last modified 2026-09-16.