CVE-2026-43278
kernel: dm: clear cloned request bio pointer when last clone bio completes
Severity
ModerateRed Hat Product Security
CVSS 3.1
Review impact separately from score.
Published · May 6, 2026
Updated · July 3, 2026
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's device-mapper (dm) component, specifically affecting request-based device-mapper targets like dm-multipath. Stale bio pointers in cloned requests can lead to double-initialization and subsequent double-free scenarios of cloned bios. This memory corruption vulnerability could potentially allow a local attacker to cause a denial of service or escalate privileges.
Statement
Red Hat acknowledges the upstream Linux kernel correction for «dm» as described in COMMENT_ZERO. Fixes are delivered through standard kernel errata for supported products. Operational exposure depends on whether this subsystem or driver is active in your configuration.
CVSS score applicability
The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.
Mitigation
To mitigate this issue, prevent the dm_mod module from being loaded. See https://access.redhat.com/solutions/41278 for instructions.
CVSS / CWE
CVSS 3.1 · 5.5CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CWE-825 · Expired Pointer Dereference