dbcve.org
Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-23148

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.12.69 / 6.16 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nvmet: fix race in nvmet_bio_done() leading to NULL pointer dereference There is a race condition in nvmet_bio_done() that can cause a NULL pointer dereference in blk_cgroup_bio_start(): 1. nvmet_bio_done() is called when a bio completes 2. nvmet_req_complete() is called, which invokes req->ops->queue_response(req) 3. The queue_response callback can re-queue and re-submit the same request 4. The re-submission reuses the same inline_bio from nvmet_req 5. Meanwhile, nvmet_req_bio_put() (called after nvmet_req_complete) invokes bio_uninit() for inline_bio, which sets bio->bi_blkg to NULL 6. The re-submitted bio enters submit_bio_noacct_nocheck() 7. blk_cgroup_bio_start() dereferences bio->bi_blkg, causing a crash: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000028 #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode RIP: 0010:blk_cgroup_bio_start+0x10/0xd0 Call Trace: submit_bio_noacct_nocheck+0x44/0x250 nvmet_bdev_execute_rw+0x254/0x370 [nvmet] process_one_work+0x193/0x3c0 worker_thread+0x281/0x3a0 Fix this by reordering nvmet_bio_done() to call nvmet_req_bio_put() BEFORE nvmet_req_complete(). This ensures the bio is cleaned up before the request can be re-submitted, preventing the race condition.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-476

The code follows a pointer that is null, crashing the process. An attacker who can reliably trigger it turns the crash into a denial of service. The fix is checking for null before use and handling the failure path gracefully.

General guidance for the null pointer dereference class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 6.12.37, < 6.12.69>= 6.15.6, < 6.16>= 6.16.1, < 6.18.9= 6.16= 6.19

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.12.69 / 6.16 / 6.18.9 or later
Fixed in 6.12.696.166.18.9
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux kernel 6.12.69, 6.16.1, or 6.18.9 (depending on which major version branch you are on)

  1. Identify the currently running Linux kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. If running kernel 6.12.37-6.12.68, upgrade to kernel version 6.12.69 or later
  3. If running kernel 6.15.6-6.15.x, upgrade to kernel version 6.16 or later
  4. If running kernel 6.16 (exact), upgrade to kernel version 6.16.1 or later
  5. If running kernel 6.16.1-6.18.8, upgrade to kernel version 6.18.9 or later
  6. Alternatively, apply the vendor patch commit 0fcee2cfc4b2e16e62ff8e0cc2cd8dd24efad65e to the kernel source and recompile
  7. After upgrade, verify the fix by checking the kernel version matches one of the fixed releases listed
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require system reboot and could affect proprietary kernel modules or drivers that are not compatible with the new version - test thoroughly in a non-production environment first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $2,850. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-23148 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-23148 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data