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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-43414

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.16 / 6.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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: scsi: qla2xxx: Completely fix fcport double free In qla24xx_els_dcmd_iocb() sp->free is set to qla2x00_els_dcmd_sp_free(). When an error happens, this function is called by qla2x00_sp_release(), when kref_put() releases the first and the last reference. qla2x00_els_dcmd_sp_free() frees fcport by calling qla2x00_free_fcport(). Doing it one more time after kref_put() is a bad idea.

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 · high confidence

A double-free vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's qla2xxx Fibre Channel driver. In qla24xx_els_dcmd_iocb(), the fcport structure is freed both through the error handling path in qla2x00_els_dcmd_sp_free() (which calls qla2x00_free_fcport()) and separately through kref_put() when releasing the final reference. This double-free can cause kernel crashes, denial of service, or potentially enable privilege escalation.

MitigationApply the vendor patch to fix the double-free in qla2x00_els_dcmd_sp_free(). Until a patch is available, consider disabling the qla2xxx driver or restricting Fibre Channel device access to reduce attack surface.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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:>= 5.15.154, < 5.16>= 6.1.84, < 6.2>= 6.6.24, < 6.7>= 6.7.12, < 6.8>= 6.8.3, < 6.9>= 6.9.1, < 6.19.9= 6.9= 7.0

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check kernel version against affected ranges
    Run 'uname -r' to get the installed kernel version, then compare it to the affected ranges: >= 5.15.154 and < 5.16; >= 6.1.84 and < 6.2; >= 6.6.24 and < 6.7; >= 6.7.12 and < 6.8; >= 6.8.3 and < 6.9; >= 6.9.1 and < 6.19.9; exactly 6.9; exactly 7.0
    Affected if The installed kernel version falls within any of the listed affected ranges
  2. Verify qla2xxx driver is loaded
    Run 'lsmod | grep qla2xxx' or check /sys/module/ for qla2xxx to see if the driver module is currently loaded in memory
    Affected if The qla2xxx driver module is loaded
  3. Check for Fibre Channel HBA devices
    Run 'ls /sys/class/fc_host/' or check 'ls -la /sys/class/scsi_host/' to list Fibre Channel host adapters, or use 'systool -v -c fc_host' if systool is available
    Affected if Fibre Channel host bus adapters managed by qla2xxx are present and enumerated in the system
  4. Confirm driver is actively used with qla2xxx
    Check 'cat /sys/class/fc_host/host*/driver' for each host to verify the qla2xxx driver is bound, or examine 'ls -la /sys/bus/pci/drivers/qla2xxx/' to see if any PCI devices are bound
    Affected if Any Fibre Channel devices are actively bound to the qla2xxx driver

You are affected if your kernel version is in the affected list AND the qla2xxx driver is loaded with active Fibre Channel devices that can trigger the qla24xx_els_dcmd_iocb() code path.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 5.16 / 6.2 / 6.7 or later
Fixed in 5.166.26.7
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch to fix the double-free in qla2x00_els_dcmd_sp_free(). Until a patch is available, consider disabling the qla2xxx driver or restricting Fibre Channel device access to reduce attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

Linux kernel 5.16, 6.2, 6.7, or 6.8 (depending on which stable branch you are on)

  1. Identify the currently running Linux kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. Determine which affected version range your kernel falls into based on the affected versions list
  3. Plan for kernel upgrade to a fixed release: Linux kernel 5.16 or later (if currently on 5.15.x), Linux kernel 6.2 or later (if currently on 6.1.x), Linux kernel 6.7 or later (if currently on 6.6.x), or Linux kernel 6.8 or later (if currently on 6.7.x)
  4. Schedule a maintenance window for the kernel upgrade
  5. Before upgrading, backup critical data as a precaution
  6. Upgrade the Linux kernel packages using your distribution's package manager (e.g., `apt-get dist-upgrade`, `yum update`, or equivalent)
  7. Reboot the system to load the new kernel
  8. After reboot, verify the new kernel version is running using `uname -r` and confirm it is a fixed version
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebooting services and could have compatibility implications with custom kernel modules or specific hardware drivers; ensure compatibility with existing system configuration before upgrading

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

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
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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-2026-43414 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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