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

null_blk: reject per-device queue resize for shared tag set

When shared_tags is enabled, null_setup_tagset() makes the device use the
global tag_set, whose driver_data stays NULL. null_map_queues() therefore
falls back to the module-wide g_submit_queues/g_poll_queues instead of any
per-device value.

Resizing submit_queues or poll_queues via configfs on such a device calls
blk_mq_update_nr_hw_queues() on the shared set, shrinking
set->nr_hw_queues. __blk_mq_realloc_hw_ctxs() only grows the
q->queue_hw_ctx[] allocation, so on shrink it merely exits and NULLs the
now-excess hctx slots. null_map_queues(), however, keeps mapping CPUs with
the unchanged g_submit_queues/g_poll_queues, so mq_map[] ends up pointing
at those NULLed hctx slots. blk_mq_map_swqueue() then dereferences the NULL
hctx (hctx->cpumask), crashing the kernel:

[ 460.218374] KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000098-0x000000000000009f]
[ 460.219003] CPU: 24 UID: 0 PID: 1492 Comm: sh Not tainted 7.2.0-rc2+ #67 PREEMPT(full)
[ 460.219792] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.17.0-4.fc41 04/01/2014
[ 460.220452] RIP: 0010:blk_mq_map_swqueue+0x4db/0x1430
......
[ 460.228977] Call Trace:
[ 460.229175] <TASK>
[ 460.229354] blk_mq_update_nr_hw_queues+0xd49/0x11c0
[ 460.229779] ? __pfx_blk_mq_update_nr_hw_queues+0x10/0x10
[ 460.230200] nullb_update_nr_hw_queues+0x1a9/0x370 [null_blk]
[ 460.230694] nullb_device_submit_queues_store+0xd9/0x170 [null_blk]
[ 460.231190] ? __pfx_nullb_device_submit_queues_store+0x10/0x10 [null_blk]
[ 460.231776] ? configfs_write_iter+0x35c/0x4e0
[ 460.232122] configfs_write_iter+0x286/0x4e0
[ 460.232460] vfs_write+0x52d/0xd00
[ 460.232779] ? __x64_sys_openat+0x108/0x1d0
[ 460.233106] ? __pfx_vfs_write+0x10/0x10
[ 460.233413] ? fdget_pos+0x1cf/0x4c0
[ 460.233745] ? fput_close+0x133/0x190
[ 460.234038] ? __pfx_expand_files+0x10/0x10
[ 460.234368] ksys_write+0xfc/0x1d0

Reproducer:
modprobe null_blk shared_tags=1 submit_queues=64 poll_queues=1
mkdir /sys/kernel/config/nullb/dev
echo 1 > /sys/kernel/config/nullb/dev/power
echo 1 > /sys/kernel/config/nullb/dev/submit_queues

A per-device resize of a shared tag set is meaningless anyway, so reject it
with -EINVAL in nullb_update_nr_hw_queues() when the device is bound to the
global tag_set.

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History

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 16:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: null_blk: reject per-device queue resize for shared tag set When shared_tags is enabled, null_setup_tagset() makes the device use the global tag_set, whose driver_data stays NULL. null_map_queues() therefore falls back to the module-wide g_submit_queues/g_poll_queues instead of any per-device value. Resizing submit_queues or poll_queues via configfs on such a device calls blk_mq_update_nr_hw_queues() on the shared set, shrinking set->nr_hw_queues. __blk_mq_realloc_hw_ctxs() only grows the q->queue_hw_ctx[] allocation, so on shrink it merely exits and NULLs the now-excess hctx slots. null_map_queues(), however, keeps mapping CPUs with the unchanged g_submit_queues/g_poll_queues, so mq_map[] ends up pointing at those NULLed hctx slots. blk_mq_map_swqueue() then dereferences the NULL hctx (hctx->cpumask), crashing the kernel: [ 460.218374] KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000098-0x000000000000009f] [ 460.219003] CPU: 24 UID: 0 PID: 1492 Comm: sh Not tainted 7.2.0-rc2+ #67 PREEMPT(full) [ 460.219792] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.17.0-4.fc41 04/01/2014 [ 460.220452] RIP: 0010:blk_mq_map_swqueue+0x4db/0x1430 ...... [ 460.228977] Call Trace: [ 460.229175] <TASK> [ 460.229354] blk_mq_update_nr_hw_queues+0xd49/0x11c0 [ 460.229779] ? __pfx_blk_mq_update_nr_hw_queues+0x10/0x10 [ 460.230200] nullb_update_nr_hw_queues+0x1a9/0x370 [null_blk] [ 460.230694] nullb_device_submit_queues_store+0xd9/0x170 [null_blk] [ 460.231190] ? __pfx_nullb_device_submit_queues_store+0x10/0x10 [null_blk] [ 460.231776] ? configfs_write_iter+0x35c/0x4e0 [ 460.232122] configfs_write_iter+0x286/0x4e0 [ 460.232460] vfs_write+0x52d/0xd00 [ 460.232779] ? __x64_sys_openat+0x108/0x1d0 [ 460.233106] ? __pfx_vfs_write+0x10/0x10 [ 460.233413] ? fdget_pos+0x1cf/0x4c0 [ 460.233745] ? fput_close+0x133/0x190 [ 460.234038] ? __pfx_expand_files+0x10/0x10 [ 460.234368] ksys_write+0xfc/0x1d0 Reproducer: modprobe null_blk shared_tags=1 submit_queues=64 poll_queues=1 mkdir /sys/kernel/config/nullb/dev echo 1 > /sys/kernel/config/nullb/dev/power echo 1 > /sys/kernel/config/nullb/dev/submit_queues A per-device resize of a shared tag set is meaningless anyway, so reject it with -EINVAL in nullb_update_nr_hw_queues() when the device is bound to the global tag_set.
Title null_blk: reject per-device queue resize for shared tag set
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
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cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: Linux

Published:

Updated: 2026-09-17T16:07:09.047Z

Reserved: 2026-09-11T19:38:34.791Z

Link: CVE-2026-90186

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-09-17T17:17:13.127

Modified: 2026-09-17T17:17:13.127

Link: CVE-2026-90186

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

No data.

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