{"id":"DEBIAN-CVE-2026-97941","details":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:  mm/slab: take n-\u003elist_lock in __slab_try_return_freelist() to avoid race  Commit ba7425312607 (\"mm, slab: add an optimistic __slab_try_return_freelist()\") incorrectly assumed that nobody has freed an object to the slab as long as slab-\u003efreelist is NULL and cmpxchg succeeds.  However, as reported by Hyunwoo Kim [1], other CPUs might have freed an object to the slab, insert the slab to the partial list, then allocated an object from the slab, and be in the middle of removing the slab from the list under n-\u003elist_lock.  Since __refill_objects_node() puts the slab back on pc.slabs outside n-\u003elist_lock, it might insert the slab into that list while the slab is concurrently being removed from n-\u003epartial. This led to a list corruption [1]:    list_add corruption. next-\u003eprev should be prev   (ffff888100000248), but was dead000000000122.   (next=ffffea000416e410).   kernel BUG at lib/list_debug.c:29!   Oops: invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] SMP NOPTI   CPU: 1 UID: 65534 PID: 144 Comm: poc Not tainted   7.2.0-16172-gcf72cbb39da8-dirty #1 PREEMPT(lazy)   RIP: 0010:__list_add_valid_or_report+0x80/0xd0   ...   Call Trace:    alloc_from_new_slab+0x183/0x300    ___slab_alloc+0x31c/0x890    __kmalloc_noprof+0x3d4/0x800    lsm_blob_alloc+0x2d/0x50    security_msg_msg_alloc+0x26/0x90    load_msg+0x1aa/0x210    do_msgsnd+0x91/0x800    do_syscall_64+0x109/0x5d0    entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f   ...   Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception  This is a classic ABA problem where cmpxchg succeeds but the state has changed since __refill_objects_node() took the freelist from the slab.  As Vlastimil Babka mentioned [2], it should be rare to return more than one slab (due to the racy read of slab-\u003ecounters in get_partial_node_bulk()). Therefore, instead of introducing additional complexity, acquire and release n-\u003elist_lock twice in the worst case.  Return the slab directly to the partial list and hold n-\u003elist_lock across the cmpxchg and add_partial(). This is similar to the initial version of commit ba7425312607 [3]. This is enough to avoid the race as the list manipulation is serialized by n-\u003elist_lock. While at it, bring back unlikely() hint now that the condition is unlikely.","modified":"2026-09-26T05:01:07.390823360Z","published":"2026-09-25T11:17:21.517Z","upstream":["CVE-2026-97941"],"references":[{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-97941"}],"affected":[{"package":{"name":"linux","ecosystem":"Debian:14","purl":"pkg:deb/debian/linux?arch=source&distro=forky"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["6.12.100-1","6.12.101-1","6.12.105-1","6.12.107-1","6.12.38-1","6.12.41-1","6.12.43-1","6.12.43-1~bpo12+1","6.12.48-1","6.12.57-1","6.12.57-1~bpo12+1","6.12.63-1","6.12.63-1~bpo12+1","6.12.69-1","6.12.69-1~bpo12+1","6.12.73-1","6.12.73-1~bpo12+1","6.12.74-1","6.12.74-2","6.12.74-2~bpo12+1","6.12.85-1","6.12.85-1~bpo12+1","6.12.86-1","6.12.86-1~bpo12+1","6.12.88-1","6.12.88-1~bpo12+1","6.12.90-1","6.12.90-1~bpo12+1","6.12.90-2","6.12.90-2~bpo12+1","6.12.94-1","6.12.94-1~bpo12+1","6.12.95-1","6.12.95-1~bpo12+1","6.12.96-1","6.13.10-1~exp1","6.13.11-1~exp1","6.13.2-1~exp1","6.13.3-1~exp1","6.13.4-1~exp1","6.13.5-1~exp1","6.13.6-1~exp1","6.13.7-1~exp1","6.13.8-1~exp1","6.13.9-1~exp1","6.13~rc6-1~exp1","6.13~rc7-1~exp1","6.14.3-1~exp1","6.14.5-1~exp1","6.14.6-1~exp1","6.15-1~exp1","6.15.1-1~exp1","6.15.2-1~exp1","6.15.3-1~exp1","6.15.4-1~exp1","6.15.5-1~exp1","6.15.6-1~exp1","6.15~rc7-1~exp1","6.16-1~exp1","6.16.1-1~exp1","6.16.10-1","6.16.11-1","6.16.12-1","6.16.12-1~bpo13+1","6.16.12-2","6.16.3-1","6.16.3-1~bpo13+1","6.16.5-1","6.16.6-1","6.16.7-1","6.16.8-1","6.16.9-1","6.16~rc7-1~exp1","6.17.10-1","6.17.11-1","6.17.12-1","6.17.13-1","6.17.13-1~bpo13+1","6.17.2-1~exp1","6.17.5-1~exp1","6.17.6-1","6.17.7-1","6.17.7-2","6.17.8-1","6.17.8-1~bpo13+1","6.17.9-1","6.18.1-1~exp1","6.18.10-1","6.18.12-1","6.18.12-1~bpo13+1","6.18.13-1","6.18.14-1","6.18.15-1","6.18.15-1~bpo13+1","6.18.2-1~exp1","6.18.3-1","6.18.5-1","6.18.5-1~bpo13+1","6.18.8-1","6.18.9-1","6.18.9-1~bpo13+1","6.18~rc4-1~exp1","6.18~rc4-1~exp2","6.18~rc5-1~exp1","6.18~rc6-1~exp1","6.18~rc7-1~exp1","6.19-1~exp1","6.19.10-1","6.19.10-1~bpo13+1","6.19.11-1","6.19.11-1~bpo13+1","6.19.12-1","6.19.13-1","6.19.13-1~bpo13+1","6.19.14-1","6.19.14-1~bpo13+1","6.19.2-1~exp1","6.19.3-1~exp1","6.19.4-1~exp1","6.19.5-1~exp1","6.19.6-1","6.19.6-2","6.19.6-2~bpo13+1","6.19.8-1","6.19.8-1~bpo13+1","6.19~rc4-1~exp1","6.19~rc5-1~exp1","6.19~rc6-1~exp1","6.19~rc7-1~exp1","6.19~rc8-1~exp1","7.0-1~exp1","7.0.1-1~exp1","7.0.10-1","7.0.10-1~bpo13+1","7.0.12-1","7.0.12-2","7.0.12-2~bpo13+1","7.0.13-1","7.0.13-1~bpo13+1","7.0.14-1","7.0.3-1","7.0.4-1","7.0.4-1~bpo13+1","7.0.7-1","7.0.7-1~bpo13+1","7.0.9-1","7.0.9-1~bpo13+1","7.1.1-1~exp1","7.1.10-1","7.1.12-1","7.1.13-1","7.1.2-1~exp1","7.1.3-1","7.1.3-1+sunvdc","7.1.3-1~bpo13+1","7.1.4-1","7.1.5-1","7.1.6-1","7.1.7-1","7.1.7-1~bpo13+1","7.1.8-1","7.1.8-1~bpo13+1","7.1.8-2","7.1.9-1","7.1.9-1+sparc64","7.1~rc2-1~exp1","7.1~rc3-1~exp1","7.1~rc4-1~exp1","7.1~rc4-1~exp2","7.1~rc5-1~exp1","7.1~rc7-1~exp1","7.2.2-1~exp1","7.2.3-1~exp1","7.2.6-1","7.2.7-1","7.2~rc3-1~exp1","7.2~rc5-1~exp1","7.2~rc7-1~exp1"],"ecosystem_specific":{"urgency":"not yet assigned"},"database_specific":{"source":"https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2026-97941.json"}}],"schema_version":"1.9.0","severity":[{"type":"CVSS_V3","score":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"}]}