CVE-2026-71226: Libkcapi: memory corruption via uncanceled aio requests on error in libkcapi's one-shot aio path

AIONLYREPORT package: libkcapi-1.5.0-3.el10 ------ Summary: Memory Corruption via Uncanceled AIO Requests on Error: libkcapi's one-shot AIO path can return an error before all submitted IOCBs are drained, allowing later kernel writes into caller-owned output buffers. Requirements to exploit: A consumer must use the one-shot AIO interfaces with KCAPIINITAIO so the real AIO backend is active, hit an error after one or more IOCBs have been submitted or completed, and then free or reuse the referenced outiov buffers before all kernel completions finish. Component affected: libkcapi-1.5.0-3.el10, lib/kcapi-kernel-if.c, kcapiaioreadall(), kcapiaioreadiov(), kcapiciphercryptaio() in the one-shot AIO path Version affected: libkcapi-1.5.0-3.el10 when the handle is initialized with KCAPIINITAIO and libkcapi enables its real kernel AIO backend Patch available: no released package fix established; proposed patch included below Version fixed: unknown Upstream coordination: Unknown. CVSS: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H - 6.8 (MEDIUM) AV:L - exploitation is local to the process using libkcapi. AC:L - once the real AIO path is active, the unsafe behavior is reached directly through documented error paths after request submission. PR:N - no elevated privileges are required beyond the ability to exercise the affected API in the local process. UI:N - no separate user interaction is required. S:U - the impact stays within the security scope of the calling process. C:L - late writes into reused buffers can expose limited process data. I:L - late kernel writes can alter caller memory after the library has reported failure. A:H - heap corruption or process termination is a realistic outcome. Impact: Moderate. This flaw can cause real process memory corruption, but it depends on an opt-in AIO configuration, kernel AIO availability, and an error path after submission rather than a default or easily reachable execution path. Under Red Hat's severity guidance, that is more consistent with Moderate impact than Important or Critical. Embargo: no Reason: the issue is local and configuration-dependent, requires explicit AIO use plus an error-path trigger, and does not present a straightforward remote compromise scenario. Acknowledgement: Aisle Research Vulnerability Details: In the affected one-shot AIO path, libkcapi can return failure before all submitted kernel requests are drained. kcapiaioreadall() returns immediately on the first negative completion result, and kcapiaioreadiov() returns immediately on a short iosubmit() result even if some IOCBs were already submitted. kcapiciphercryptaio() then propagates that error directly to the caller. If the caller treats the operation as failed and promptly frees or reuses outiov[].iovbase, later kernel completions may still write into those buffers. c if (events[i].res < 0) { handle->aio.iocbret[events[i].data] = events[i].res; return (int)events[i].res; } ... ret = iosubmit(handle->aio.aioctx, (long)iovlen, handle->aio.ciopp); if ((uint32t)ret != iovlen) { if (ret < 0) { ret = -errno; kcapidolog(KCAPILOGERR, "ioread Error: %d\n", ret); return ret; } else { kcapidolog(KCAPILOGERR, "Could not sumbit AIO read\n"); return -EIO; } } c ret = kcapiaioreadiov(handle, outiov, process); if (ret < 0) return ret; The issue is not established for the default synchronous path. Reachability depends on the caller enabling KCAPIINITAIO so libkcapi uses the real kernel AIO backend. Steps to reproduce: 1. Build an ASAN-enabled harness that calls kcapicipherencryptaio() or kcapiaeaddecryptaio() with multiple output iovec entries. 2. Initialize the handle with KCAPIINITAIO so the real AIO path is active. 3. Force a deterministic short-submit path with an LDPRELOAD wrapper around syscall(NRiosubmit, ...) that returns 0 < ret < iovlen after forwarding only the first N IOCBs. 4. Optionally fault-inject iogetevents() so one returned event has res < 0 before all completions are consumed. 5. When the API returns an error, immediately free or reallocate the outiov[].iovbase buffers. 6. Observe delayed writes into freed or reused memory, for example as an ASAN use-after-free, heap corruption, or a canary mismatch. Mitigation: Until a fix is available, avoid initializing affected handles with KCAPIINITAIO and prefer the synchronous interfaces. If the real AIO path must remain enabled, applications should not immediately free or reuse outiov buffers after an error return. Proposed Fix: Drain all submitted requests before returning an error. A minimal approach is to record the first completion error, continue draining outstanding completions, and drain any successfully submitted subset after a short iosubmit() result. diff diff --git a/lib/kcapi-kernel-if.c b/lib/kcapi-kernel-if.c — a/lib/kcapi-kernel-if.c +++ b/lib/kcapi-kernel-if.c @@ -420,6 +420,7 @@ int kcapiaioreadall(struct kcapihandle handle, sizet toread, struct timespec timeout) { + int firsterr = 0; if (toread > KCAPIAIOCONCURRENT) return -EINVAL; @@ -440,8 +441,10 @@ int kcapiaioreadall(struct kcapihandle handle, sizet toread, if (events[i].res < 0) { handle->aio.iocbret[events[i].data] = events[i].res; - return (int)events[i].res; + if (!firsterr) + firsterr = (int)events[i].res; + continue; } @@ -467,7 +470,7 @@ int kcapiaioreadall(struct kcapihandle handle, sizet toread, toread -= (uint32t)rc; } - return 0; + return firsterr; } @@ -534,15 +537,20 @@ int kcapiaioreadiov(struct kcapihandle handle, ret = iosubmit(handle->aio.aioctx, (long)iovlen, handle->aio.ciopp); if ((uint32t)ret != iovlen) { + sizet submitted = (ret > 0) ? (sizet)ret : 0; + int submiterr = (ret < 0) ? -errno : -EIO; if (ret < 0) { - ret = -errno; kcapidolog(KCAPILOGERR, "ioread Error: %d\n", ret); - return ret; } else { kcapidolog(KCAPILOGERR, "Could not sumbit AIO read\n"); - return -EIO; } + if (submitted) { + int drain = kcapiaioreadall(handle, submitted, NULL); + if (submiterr == 0 && drain < 0) + submiterr = drain; + } + return submiterr; } (Equivalent fix using iocancel + confirmed drain is also acceptable.) ------ This report was generated using AI technology. Always review AI-generated content prior to use