CVE-2026-90129
UnknownSummary
In the Linux kernel, the virtio_balloon driver has no .shutdown handler of its own, so the generic virtio bus handler resets the device during device_shutdown() while the balloon's asynchronous work is still armed. This causes virtqueue_add_inbuf() to return -EIO and trip WARN_ON_ONCE(), turning an ordinary reboot into a kernel panic when panic_on_warn is enabled.
Risk Assessment
On systems with panic_on_warn enabled, an ordinary reboot or kexec can result in a fatal kernel panic during device_shutdown(), preventing the new kernel from booting and causing machine unavailability.
Recommendation
Update the Linux kernel to a version containing the fix that adds a .shutdown handler quiescing the balloon via virtballoon_quiesce() before breaking and resetting the device. Until patched, consider disabling panic_on_warn on systems using virtio_balloon.
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Original NVD description (English source)
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: virtio_balloon: quiesce balloon work before device shutdown Commit 8bd2fa086a04 ("virtio: break and reset virtio devices on device_shutdown()") added a generic virtio bus .shutdown handler that breaks and resets every virtio device during device_shutdown(), i.e. on reboot and kexec. virtio_balloon provides no .shutdown of its own, so that generic path runs while the balloon's asynchronous work is still armed. Once the device has been broken, virtqueue_add_inbuf() in virtballoon_free_page_report() returns -EIO and trips its WARN_ON_ONCE(). On a kernel booted with panic_on_warn that turns an ordinary reboot, for example a kexec based upgrade, into a fatal panic in the middle of device_shutdown(), so the machine never reaches the new kernel. Relaxing that single WARN_ON_ONCE() would only hide the symptom: the inflate/deflate and OOM paths do not warn, they call wait_event(vb->acked, ...) and would instead block forever on a broken queue that can no longer complete. The device has to be quiesced, not just kept quiet. Add a .shutdown handler that quiesces the balloon via the shared virtballoon_quiesce() helper while the device is still alive, and only then breaks and resets it via virtio_device_shutdown(). Unlike virtballoon_remove() the balloon workqueue is not destroyed, as shutdown does not free the device and cancel_work_sync() together with stop_update already prevent any further work from being queued.
Vulnerability data from NVD (NIST) · CISA KEV · EPSS