CVE-2026-89536: SUNRPC: wait for in-flight client TLS handshake callback

Severity: critical (CVSS 9.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.6% 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: SUNRPC: wait for in-flight client TLS handshake callback xs_tls_handshake_sync() gives xs_tls_handshake_done() a reference to the lower transport before submitting the handshake request. On timeout or signal, the synchronous waiter drops that reference after calling tls_handshake_cancel(). handshake_req_cancel() returns false when handshake_complete() has already marked the request complete. In that case the completion callback can still be running, so dropping the callback-owned reference in the waiter can free the lower transport before xs_tls_handshake_done() stores xprt_err or drops its own reference. If cancellation loses to completion, wait until xs_tls_handshake_done() signals handshake_done and let the callback release its reference. This mirrors the server-side handshake lifetime handling and keeps the timeout or signal return value unchanged.

Affected products

Linux kernel: 6.5 — 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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