CVE-2026-43448
Received Received - Intake
Race Condition in Linux Kernel NVMe PCI Driver

Publication date: 2026-05-08

Last updated on: 2026-05-08

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nvme-pci: Fix race bug in nvme_poll_irqdisable() In the following scenario, pdev can be disabled between (1) and (3) by (2). This sets pdev->msix_enabled = 0. Then, pci_irq_vector() will return MSI-X IRQ(>15) for (1) whereas return INTx IRQ(<=15) for (2). This causes IRQ warning because it tries to enable INTx IRQ that has never been disabled before. To fix this, save IRQ number into a local variable and ensure disable_irq() and enable_irq() operate on the same IRQ number. Even if pci_free_irq_vectors() frees the IRQ concurrently, disable_irq() and enable_irq() on a stale IRQ number is still valid and safe, and the depth accounting reamins balanced. task 1: nvme_poll_irqdisable() disable_irq(pci_irq_vector(pdev, nvmeq->cq_vector)) ...(1) enable_irq(pci_irq_vector(pdev, nvmeq->cq_vector)) ...(3) task 2: nvme_reset_work() nvme_dev_disable() pdev->msix_enable = 0; ...(2) crash log: ------------[ cut here ]------------ Unbalanced enable for IRQ 10 WARNING: kernel/irq/manage.c:753 at __enable_irq+0x102/0x190 kernel/irq/manage.c:753, CPU#1: kworker/1:0H/26 Modules linked in: CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 26 Comm: kworker/1:0H Not tainted 6.19.0-dirty #9 PREEMPT(voluntary) Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.16.3-0-ga6ed6b701f0a-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 Workqueue: kblockd blk_mq_timeout_work RIP: 0010:__enable_irq+0x107/0x190 kernel/irq/manage.c:753 Code: ff df 48 89 fa 48 c1 ea 03 0f b6 14 02 48 89 f8 83 e0 07 83 c0 03 38 d0 7c 04 84 d2 75 79 48 8d 3d 2e 7a 3f 05 41 8b 74 24 2c <67> 48 0f b9 3a e8 ef b9 21 00 5b 41 5c 5d e9 46 54 66 03 e8 e1 b9 RSP: 0018:ffffc900001bf550 EFLAGS: 00010046 RAX: 0000000000000007 RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: ffffffffb20c0e90 RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 000000000000000a RDI: ffffffffb74b88f0 RBP: ffffc900001bf560 R08: ffff88800197cf00 R09: 0000000000000001 R10: 0000000000000003 R11: 0000000000000003 R12: ffff8880012a6000 R13: 1ffff92000037eae R14: 000000000000000a R15: 0000000000000293 FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff8880b49f7000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 0000555da4a25fa8 CR3: 00000000208e8000 CR4: 00000000000006f0 Call Trace: <TASK> enable_irq+0x121/0x1e0 kernel/irq/manage.c:797 nvme_poll_irqdisable+0x162/0x1c0 drivers/nvme/host/pci.c:1494 nvme_timeout+0x965/0x14b0 drivers/nvme/host/pci.c:1744 blk_mq_rq_timed_out block/blk-mq.c:1653 [inline] blk_mq_handle_expired+0x227/0x2d0 block/blk-mq.c:1721 bt_iter+0x2fc/0x3a0 block/blk-mq-tag.c:292 __sbitmap_for_each_set include/linux/sbitmap.h:269 [inline] sbitmap_for_each_set include/linux/sbitmap.h:290 [inline] bt_for_each block/blk-mq-tag.c:324 [inline] blk_mq_queue_tag_busy_iter+0x969/0x1e80 block/blk-mq-tag.c:536 blk_mq_timeout_work+0x627/0x870 block/blk-mq.c:1763 process_one_work+0x956/0x1aa0 kernel/workqueue.c:3257 process_scheduled_works kernel/workqueue.c:3340 [inline] worker_thread+0x65c/0xe60 kernel/workqueue.c:3421 kthread+0x41a/0x930 kernel/kthread.c:463 ret_from_fork+0x6f8/0x8c0 arch/x86/kernel/process.c:158 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:246 </TASK> irq event stamp: 74478 hardirqs last enabled at (74477): [<ffffffffb5720a9c>] __raw_spin_unlock_irq include/linux/spinlock_api_smp.h:159 [inline] hardirqs last enabled at (74477): [<ffffffffb5720a9c>] _raw_spin_unlock_irq+0x2c/0x60 kernel/locking/spinlock.c:202 hardirqs last disabled at (74478): [<ffffffffb57207b5>] __raw_spin_lock_irqsave include/linux/spinlock_api_smp.h:108 [inline] hardirqs last disabled at (74478): [<ffffffffb57207b5>] _raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x85/0xa0 kernel/locking/spinlock.c:162 softirqs last enabled at (74304): [<ffffffffb1e9466c>] __do_softirq kernel/softirq.c:656 [inline] softirqs last enabled at (74304): [<ffffffffb1e9466c>] invoke_softirq kernel/softirq.c:496 [inline] softirqs last enabled at (74304): [<ffffffffb1e9466c>] __irq_exit_rcu+0xdc/0x120 ---truncated---
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Meta Information
Published
2026-05-08
Last Modified
2026-05-08
Generated
2026-05-09
AI Q&A
2026-05-08
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-43448
EUVD
EUVD-2026-28754
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel 6.19.0
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
CWE Icon
KEV
KEV Icon
CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?

This vulnerability is a race condition in the Linux kernel's NVMe PCI driver, specifically in the function nvme_poll_irqdisable().

The issue occurs when the PCI device (pdev) can be disabled between two points in the code, causing the msix_enabled flag to be set to 0. This leads to inconsistent IRQ (interrupt request) numbers being used between disable_irq() and enable_irq() calls.

Because of this mismatch, the kernel tries to enable an interrupt (INTx IRQ) that was never disabled, causing an IRQ warning and unbalanced enable calls.

The fix involves saving the IRQ number into a local variable and ensuring that disable_irq() and enable_irq() operate on the same IRQ number, maintaining balanced depth accounting even if IRQ vectors are freed concurrently.


How can this vulnerability impact me? :

This vulnerability can cause IRQ warnings and unbalanced enable calls in the Linux kernel, which may lead to instability or crashes in systems using the affected NVMe PCI driver.

Such instability could affect system reliability, potentially causing unexpected behavior or downtime in environments relying on NVMe storage devices.


How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?

This vulnerability manifests as an IRQ warning in the Linux kernel logs, specifically an "Unbalanced enable for IRQ" message indicating a race condition in IRQ handling.

To detect this issue on your system, you should monitor the kernel logs for warnings related to IRQ management, such as messages containing "Unbalanced enable for IRQ" or warnings from kernel/irq/manage.c.

You can use the following commands to check for such warnings:

  • dmesg | grep -i 'Unbalanced enable for IRQ'
  • journalctl -k | grep -i 'Unbalanced enable for IRQ'
  • journalctl -k | grep -i irq

Additionally, monitoring system logs for kernel warnings or errors related to NVMe or PCI IRQ handling may help identify the presence of this vulnerability.


What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?

The vulnerability is fixed by ensuring that disable_irq() and enable_irq() operate on the same IRQ number, even if pci_free_irq_vectors() frees the IRQ concurrently.

Immediate mitigation steps include:

  • Update your Linux kernel to a version that includes the fix for this race bug in nvme_poll_irqdisable().
  • Avoid using affected kernel versions where this race condition exists.
  • Monitor kernel logs for IRQ warnings to detect if the issue is occurring.

Since this is a kernel-level bug, applying the official patch or upgrading the kernel is the most effective mitigation.


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