CVE-2026-90414
Critical · 9.1CVSS
9.1
EPSS
0.5%
Published
Sep 17, 2026
CISA due date
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Cloudanix analysis
A bug in the Linux kernel's iSCSI-over-RDMA code lets a remote system send specially crafted network messages that can read or corrupt memory inside the storage target.
- Exploitation
- Remote Unauthenticated
- Attacker needs
- None
- Complexity
- Low
- Impact
- Data Exposure
- Component
- OS kernel
- Class
- Improper Input Validation
- Remediation
- Patch
- Effort
- Medium
- Patch risk
- Low
What it actually does
The isert_recv_done path passes declared PDU data-segment lengths (unsol_data_len/imm_data_len) to sg_copy_from_buffer without comparing them to wc->byte_len, allowing an initiator to trigger slab-out-of-bounds reads and, on the imm_data_len path, to alias the receive descriptor into a SCSI WRITE scatterlist so that heap contents beyond the descriptor are written to the backing store.
Why it matters to the business
Systems exposing iSCSI targets over RDMA can leak or corrupt data written to storage; the issue affects any Linux kernel with the isert module enabled and negotiated TargetRecvDataSegmentLength larger than the receive descriptor.
How an attack unfolds
After a successful login in full-feature phase, an initiator that negotiated a large TargetRecvDataSegmentLength and FirstBurstLength sends an iSCSI Data-Out or SCSI Command PDU whose BHS dlength exceeds the bytes actually placed in the receive descriptor; the handlers then copy or alias beyond the buffer bounds.
How to fix it
Apply the upstream fix that validates wc->byte_len against the declared data-segment length plus headers before any opcode handler runs; rebuild and reboot to a kernel containing the corrected isert_recv_done logic.
How to confirm the fix worked
Confirm the patch is present by inspecting isert_recv_done for the byte_len comparison against (ISER_HEADERS_LEN + dlength) and by re-testing with a fuzzer that sends oversized dlength values; absence of KASAN reports on such input indicates the check is active.
Typical attack path
- Complete iSER login and negotiate TargetRecvDataSegmentLength > ISER_RX_SIZE
- Send a Data-Out or SCSI Command PDU with dlength larger than wc->byte_len
- isert_recv_done forwards the PDU to isert_handle_iscsi_dataout or isert_handle_scsi_cmd
- sg_copy_from_buffer reads or writes past the end of the receive descriptor
- On the write path, heap contents are passed to the storage backend as user data
How to detect it
Review ib-comp-wq and iscsi target logs for KASAN or slab-out-of-bounds reports mentioning sg_copy_buffer or isert_handle_iscsi_dataout; correlate with connection attempts that negotiate unusually large TargetRecvDataSegmentLength values.
What your security team should do
- Identify all hosts running the isert module (modprobe -c | grep isert) and schedule kernel updates
- Disable iSER listeners on targets that do not require RDMA until patched
- Monitor for unusual TargetRecvDataSegmentLength negotiations in iscsi target logs
- Prioritize patching on systems that expose block storage over RoCE or InfiniBand
The record
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: IB/isert: reject PDUs declaring more data than was received isert_recv_done() hands each received PDU to the opcode handlers without ever looking at wc->byte_len, the number of bytes the HCA actually placed in the receive descriptor. The handlers then copy that many bytes - the data-segment length the initiator declared in the BHS (ntoh24(hdr->dlength), via the derived unsol_data_len / imm_data_len) - out of the fixed-size descriptor: isert_handle_iscsi_dataout(): sg_copy_from_buffer(sg_start, sg_nents, isert_get_data(rx_desc), unsol_data_len); isert_handle_scsi_cmd(): sg_copy_from_buffer(cmd->se_cmd.t_data_sg, sg_nents, isert_get_data(rx_desc), imm_data_len); Because the declared length is never checked against wc->byte_len, an initiator can declare a data segment larger than the bytes it actually sent (and larger than the descriptor) and cause an out-of-bounds read of the receive buffer. Nothing upstream of isert closes this door: - __iscsit_check_dataout_hdr() bounds the inbound payload against conn_ops->MaxXmitDataSegmentLength (MXDSL) - a transmit parameter, used here for the inbound check. - iscsi_set_connection_parameters() sets ops->MaxXmitDataSegmentLength = ops->TargetRecvDataSegmentLength; and TARGETRECVDATASEGMENTLENGTH is absent from the min()-clamp list in iscsi_check_acceptor_state(), so the value the initiator declares is adopted verbatim (type range 512..16777215). The initiator effectively raises its own ceiling. - isert never clamps the negotiated value to its own fixed receive descriptor (ISER_RX_SIZE, 9216 bytes), so the target core's bound and the descriptor size are unrelated. The imm_data_len == data_len path is more than an over-read: it aliases the receive descriptor via sg_set_buf() and passes it to the backend as the data source for the SCSI WRITE, so an over-declared length causes heap contents past the descriptor to be written through the backend to the backing store. The backend is the victim of the oversized scatterlist isert hands it, not the cause; no read-back of the written bytes was demonstrated. Trigger: after login completes (full feature phase), an initiator that has declared a large TargetRecvDataSegmentLength and a FirstBurstLength that permits unsolicited/immediate data sends a PDU whose declared data-segment length exceeds what was received. With KASAN: BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in sg_copy_buffer+0x150/0x1c0 Read of size 4096 at addr ffff888109720800 by task kworker/1:0H/25 Workqueue: ib-comp-wq ib_cq_poll_work Call Trace: sg_copy_buffer+0x150/0x1c0 isert_recv_done+0xba6/0x2390 __ib_process_cq+0xe1/0x390 ib_cq_poll_work+0x46/0x150 isert_recv_done+0xba6 resolves to isert_handle_iscsi_dataout() (ib_isert.c:1160), inlined through isert_rx_opcode(). Validate wc->byte_len against the framing in isert_recv_done() before the PDU reaches any handler, and reinstate the connection if it is short. Because the test compares without subtracting the header length, it also rejects PDUs shorter than the iSER and iSCSI headers, which would otherwise be parsed out of stale descriptor contents. The login handler rejects PDUs shorter than ISER_HEADERS_LEN (commit 29e7b925ae6d ("IB/isert: Reject login PDUs shorter than ISER_HEADERS_LEN")) but does not bound the declared length either; that is fixed in the next patch. The data handlers had no length check at all. isert reads the data segment from a fixed offset: isert_get_data() returns the iSER header plus ISER_HEADERS_LEN and makes no adjustment for an AHS. The bytes the handlers touch are therefore exactly [ISER_HEADERS_LEN, ISER_HEADERS_LEN + dlength), and comparing that sum against wc->byte_len bounds precisely the region that is read. An AHS term would only make the test stricter without bounding anything furth ---truncated---
Affected packages
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