CVE-2026-80956: dm-pcache: only hand out initialized cache segments

Severity: unknown
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-09-11 · updated 2026-10-19

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dm-pcache: only hand out initialized cache segments get_cache_segment() scans the segment map up to cache->n_segs, the physical device segment count, but cache_segs_init() only initializes the first cache_info->n_segs segments. A crafted image with cache_info->n_segs smaller than the device count leaves the remaining pcache_cache_segment structs zeroed (segment.data == NULL), and the allocator can hand one to cache_kset_close(), which writes through the returned segment's data pointer with no NULL check. Bound the allocator's search to cache_info->n_segs so only initialized segments are ever returned. A conforming cache sets n_segs equal to the device segment count, so this rejects nothing legitimate.

Affected products

Linux kernel: 6.18 — fixed in 7.3

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 7.3. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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