CVE-2026-89558: md/raid10: fix still_degraded being inverted in raid10_sync_request()

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: md/raid10: fix still_degraded being inverted in raid10_sync_request() Commit fe6a19d40ceb ("md/md-bitmap: merge md_bitmap_start_sync() into bitmap_operations") converted still_degraded from int to bool, but inverted the assignment in the loop that checks whether the array will still be degraded after the current device is recovered: "still_degraded = 1" became "still_degraded = false". As a result, recovering a device while another mirror is still missing calls md_bitmap_start_sync() with degraded == false, which clears bitmap bits that the still-missing device needs. When that device is re-added, its bitmap-based recovery finds the bits already cleared and skips every region written while the array was degraded, so it is marked In_sync while holding stale data: silent corruption. Reproducer (raid10 near=2, 4 disks, internal bitmap): - fail and remove one disk of each mirror pair - write to the degraded array - re-add both disks and let recovery finish - "check" reports mismatch_cnt=262272 after 256 MiB of degraded writes and file contents differ; the second disk's "recovery" completes in milliseconds because everything is skipped The same conversion in raid1 got it right (still_degraded = true). Restore the correct value.

Affected products

Linux kernel: 6.12 — 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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