Linux kernel io_uring cancel latch causes execve hang
CVE-2026-99253 Published on November 3, 2026
io_uring/cancel: rearm local work wake up before sleep
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
io_uring/cancel: rearm local work wake up before sleep
io_uring_try_cancel_requests() sets ->cq_wait_nr to 1 so that the next
io_req_local_work_add() wakes the cancelling task. The add that takes the
count to zero is the only one that wakes, later ones see a count <= 0 and
return. io_uring_cancel_generic() however only becomes
TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE much later, so the one wake up can be spent on a
running task. That is fine as long as the entry of that add is still
queued, as the io_local_work_pending() check then skips the sleep. It is
not if the add was delayed after queueing its entry:
CPU0 (submitter in exec or exit) CPU1 (io_req_local_work_add)
mpscq_push(req A)
io_uring_try_cancel_requests()
io_run_local_work() // runs req A
io_uring_try_cancel_requests()
atomic_set(&ctx->cq_wait_nr, 1)
atomic_read(&ctx->cq_wait_nr) == 1
count taken, wake_up_state()
// task is running, no-op
prepare_to_wait(TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE)
io_local_work_pending() == false
schedule()
mpscq_push(req B)
cq_wait_nr <= 0, return
Only the sleeping task can run req B, so it is stuck in execve() until a
signal happens to wake it. An exiting task doesn't even get that.
Arm the count again once the task state is set and before the work list
is checked, for the rings whose local work this task is the one to run.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-99253
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Affected Versions
Linux:- Version d46ab2c98ababa19b41a5709b6921d7b1add7f74 and below aaa06bb9fc03384f7cf2dbc3e43f2939cc7791b2 is affected.
- Version 7.2 is affected.
- Before 7.2 is unaffected.
- Version 7.2.14, <= 7.2.* is unaffected.