CVE-2026-89682: nfsd: fix fcache_disposal UAF by inlining dispose state into nfsd_net

Severity: high (CVSS 8.1 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 2026-10-30

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfsd: fix fcache_disposal UAF by inlining dispose state into nfsd_net nfsd_file_dispose_list_delayed() defers fput() to nfsd service threads via a per-net freeme queue, preventing the shrinker and GC worker from bearing the cost of closing files (see ffb402596147). However, the queue lives in a separately-allocated struct nfsd_fcache_disposal that is freed by nfsd_free_fcache_disposal_net() during per-net teardown. The global shrinker, laundrette, and fsnotify callbacks can still be inside nfsd_file_dispose_list_delayed() dereferencing that pointer, causing a use-after-free. Inline the spinlock and freeme list directly into struct nfsd_net (as fcache_dispose_lock and fcache_dispose_list), eliminating the separately allocated struct nfsd_fcache_disposal entirely. These fields now have the same lifetime as the net namespace itself, so there is no dangling pointer to chase. nfsd_file_cache_start_net() now just initializes the inline fields and cannot fail due to allocation. nfsd_file_cache_shutdown_net() drains the inline list directly instead of freeing a separate struct. The alloc/free helpers are removed.

Affected products

Linux: from 5.10.220 before 5.11; from 5.15.154 before 5.16 — fixed in 5.11, 5.16

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux 5.11, 5.16. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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