CVE Catalog

CVE-2026-99038

Low risk· EPSS 6%
Published: Updated: Translated: NVD NIST

Exploitation Probability (EPSS)

Low risk
0.17%

6th percentile - higher than 6% of all known CVEs

Summary

In the Linux kernel memstick rtsx_usb_ms module, a race during device removal can cause a request to be silently dropped, so nobody completes card->mrq_complete. With the memstick core waiting for request completion without a timeout, this hangs removal: memstick_check() never returns and memstick_remove_host() blocks in flush_workqueue(). The fix ensures requests are never dropped but completed with -ENOMEDIUM once eject is set.

Risk Assessment

Kernel worker threads may hang during memstick device detach or removal, blocking the removal process and potentially making related operations unavailable. This requires local access to the hardware and triggering a removal operation.

Recommendation

Update the Linux kernel to a version containing the fix for CVE-2026-99038. Until then, avoid detaching memstick devices during active operation where possible.

Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

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Original NVD description (English source)

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: memstick: rtsx_usb_ms: complete requests after eject instead of dropping them memstick_check() can pass its host->removing check just before rtsx_usb_ms_drv_remove() sets eject/removing. Its next request is then silently dropped: rtsx_usb_ms_request() skips schedule_work() once eject is set, and drv_remove's cancel_work_sync() can also cancel a queued handle_req before it picks the request up. Nobody completes card->mrq_complete. Once memstick core waits for requests without a timeout ("memstick: core: wait for request completion before freeing card"), this hangs removal: memstick_check() never returns and memstick_remove_host() blocks in flush_workqueue(): INFO: task kworker/u10:3:65 blocked for more than 20 seconds. Workqueue: kmemstick memstick_check __wait_for_common memstick_check INFO: task kworker/1:1:33 blocked for more than 20 seconds. Workqueue: usb_hub_wq hub_event __flush_workqueue memstick_remove_host rtsx_usb_ms_drv_remove Never drop a request. rtsx_usb_ms_request() always schedules handle_req, and handle_req fails requests with -ENOMEDIUM once eject is set, without touching the device. drv_remove flushes handle_req instead of cancelling it, and cancels it only after memstick_remove_host(), when no new request can arrive, so it cannot run on a freed host. The host_mutex drain in drv_remove is removed: handle_req always leaves host->req NULL when it finishes, so the drain never had anything to do, and it would now race with handle_req.

Vulnerability data from NVD (NIST) · CISA KEV · EPSS