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Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2026-99254

CVE-2026-99254: io_uring: don't flood a cancelling task with task_work

Published Nov 3, 2026 · catalog updated Nov 3, 2026 · Linux Linux

Last checked Nov 4, 2026. A connected source was read within the last 7 days.

Check if you run it

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2026-99254. EPSS is 0.20%. Act only if a listed version of Linux Linux is installed.

Gaps on this record

  • No version range is stored. A customer cannot check an installed version against this record.
  • No vendor fix or required action is stored. Compare the linked advisory before you change production.

Same product and reporting

Severity
Unknown—
Known exploitation
Not in CISA/VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
0.20%
Remediation
Not established
Affected products
linux kernel · vendor Linux Linux

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: io_uring: don't flood a cancelling task with task_work io_ring_exit_work() asks each task which has used the ring to remove its tctx node, by task_work, and repeats that until the list is empty. io_tctx_exit_cb() doesn't touch the node while the task is in io_uring_cancel_generic(), which removes all the nodes at its end. So the work item queues the callback again as soon as it has completed, for nothing. That is more than a waste of time. task_work_run() only returns when it finds the list empty. If the rings are released from inside the cancellation, because requests of other rings held the last references to their files, up to 64 work items keep sending callbacks to the one task which is running them. It never finds the list empty, never gets back to the cancellation, the nodes stay, and so it goes on: a task with 60 pairs of rings which poll each other ran 280000 callbacks in 5 seconds, 20 seconds after exit_group(). It ends when all the senders happen to be late at the same time. Until then the task keeps a CPU and the work items busy. An exiting task can't be killed meanwhile. execve() cancels the requests in the same way, so a live task can get stuck there as well, for minutes. If it takes more than five, the work items run into the WARN_ON_ONCE(time_after(jiffies, timeout)) of io_ring_exit_work(). No privilege is needed for any of this. If the callback has met a task in cancellation, wait a little before it is sent again. Nobody has to wake the work item up for that: either the node is gone by then, or it is the turn of the next round.

Are you affected?

Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.

The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.

  • linux kernelversion unspecified
  • vendor Linux Linuxversion unspecified

How to fix CVE-2026-99254

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2026-99254. EPSS is 0.20%. Act only if a listed version of Linux Linux is installed.

Which versions are affected?

Affected version ranges are not on this record. Compare the installed version with the linked vendor advisory before you change production.

What should an analyst verify?

No weakness class is stored. EPSS 0.20%. There is no CISA KEV listing. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. Nov 3, 2026 · Linux Kernel CVE

    Detected

    From: Greg Kroah-Hartman Description =========== In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: io_uring: don't flood a cancelling task with task_work io_ring_exit_work() asks each task which has used the ring to remove its tctx node, by task_work, and repeats that until the list is empty. io_tctx_exit_cb() doesn't touch the node while the task is in io_uring_cancel_generic(),

  2. Nov 3, 2026 · CVE.org

    Updated

    In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: io_uring: don't flood a cancelling task with task_work io_ring_exit_work() asks each task which has used the ring to remove its tctx node, by task_work, and repeats that until the list is empty. io_tctx_exit_cb() doesn't touch the node while the task is in io_uring_cancel_generic(), which removes all the nodes at its end. So the w

Sources

  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2026-99254

    In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: io_uring: don't flood a cancelling task with task_work io_ring_exit_work() asks each task which has used the ring to remove its tctx node, by task_work, and repeats that until the list is empty. io_tctx_exit_cb()

    cve.org
  • FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2026-99254

    30-day exploitation probability 0.20%

    first.org
  • Linux Kernel CVEVendor advisoryCVE-2026-99254

    From: Greg Kroah-Hartman Description =========== In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: io_uring: don't flood a cancelling task with task_work io_ring_exit_work() asks each task which has used the ring to remove its tctx node, by task_work, and repeat

    git.kernel.org

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Nov 4, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.

  • FIRST EPSSNov 4, 2026
  • CVE.orgNov 4, 2026
  • Linux Kernel CVENov 3, 2026