NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel - CVE-2026-43271
Published: May 7, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU130430
CSH Severity: Medium
CVSS v4.0: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Green
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-43271
CWE-ID: CWE-476
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vendor: Linux Foundation
Affected software:
Linux kernel
Linux kernel
Detailed vulnerability description
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service.
The vulnerability exists due to a null pointer dereference in process_metadata_update() when handling a METADATA_UPDATED message from a remote node during MD array startup. A remote attacker can send a crafted metadata update message to cause a denial of service.
The issue can be triggered during a race condition window before the main MD thread is initialized.
How to mitigate CVE-2026-43271
Install security update from vendor's repository.
Sources
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/721599e837d3f4c0e6cc14da059612c017b6d3ec
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a61c1bc84c4a0f1e7c2fe55b0f43d7d94af4adf1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dceb5a843910004cb118148e267036104fc3ee43
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dec123825c1ed74d98fd5fc7571a851dea4f46ff
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f150e753cb8dd756085f46e86f2c35ce472e0a3c