CVE-2026-97952: sunvdc: unmap LDC cookies when the descriptor send fails

Published Sep 25, 2026
·
Updated

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

sunvdc: unmap LDC cookies when the descriptor send fails

sendrequest() maps the request's pages into the LDC channel's map table (ldcmapsg()), fills in the descriptor and marks it VIODESCREADY before ringing the doorbell via vdctxtrigger(). When the trigger fails, the error path only prints a message: the descriptor stays READY and the cookies are never unmapped. The mapping is normally released in vdcendone() when the peer completes the descriptor - but a descriptor whose doorbell was never sent will never complete, and since dr->prod is not advanced on failure, the reset path (vdcrequeueinflight(), which walks [cons, prod)) never visits it either. The map table entries are leaked permanently.

Since commit a11f6ca9aef9 ("sunvdc: Do not spin in an infinite loop when violdcsend() returns EAGAIN") trigger failures occur in practice under load, so every resulting I/O error also leaks one request's worth of entries from the fixed-size (8192 entries per channel) map table. Because the allocator hands out contiguous ranges, fragmentation makes large multi-segment requests fail first as the table drains, until ldcmapsg() fails permanently and the disk is dead until reboot.

It also makes any retry-based recovery unusable: requeuing the request on -EAGAIN remaps the pages on every attempt, overwriting desc->cookies and orphaning the previous mapping, so the table drains at the retry rate. This is the memory exhaustion observed when the requeue approach was first tested in October 2025.

Roll back on failure: unmap the cookies, mark the descriptor FREE again and clear the request entry. If the trigger failed with -ENOTCONN, vdctxtrigger() has already reset the port, which tears down and reallocates both the dring and the LDC channel including its map table - nothing to roll back, and the stale descriptor must not be touched.

Affected Software

1 affected component
Linux Linux kernel

Event History

Sep 25, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·10:23 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·10:23 AM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·11:17 AM
Description

Frequently Asked Questions

1

When is this most likely to affect a system?

The leak occurs when sending an LDC descriptor trigger fails. Such failures can occur under load, and each resulting I/O error leaks the map-table entries used by that request.

2

What operational impact should administrators expect as the condition persists?

The per-channel map table has a fixed capacity of 8192 entries, and leaked entries are not reclaimed. Fragmentation can cause larger multi-segment requests to fail before the table is fully exhausted.

3

How can this be identified in an affected environment?

Look for trigger-related I/O errors during load followed by progressively more failures, particularly for large multi-segment requests. The leaked mappings persist because descriptors whose doorbells were not sent are not completed or visited by the reset-path requeue logic.

4

Are fixes referenced for this issue?

The provided references identify fixes in commits ab81a5c1014a38dab0fb402609fd866b0bcb4726, 57835952566f0be9b365a6eb3a70b397a9d5ef47, and f3322baa3a8ac87730feae952c1146269d78e098. No affected or fixed kernel version numbers are provided.

Contact

SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
132 Wickham Terrace
Fortitude Valley,
QLD 4006, Australia
info@secalerts.co
By using SecAlerts services, you agree to our services end-user license agreement. This website is safeguarded by reCAPTCHA and governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. All names, logos, and brands of products are owned by their respective owners, and any usage of these names, logos, and brands for identification purposes only does not imply endorsement. If you possess any content that requires removal, please get in touch with us.
© 2026 SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
ABN: 70 645 966 203, ACN: 645 966 203