CVE-2026-52939 — net/rds: fix NULL deref in rds_ib_send_cqe_handler() on masked atomic completion
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/rds: fix NULL deref in rds_ib_send_cqe_handler() on masked atomic completion rds_ib_xmit_atomic() always programs a masked atomic opcode (IB_WR_MASKED_ATOMIC_CMP_AND_SWP or IB_WR_MASKED_ATOMIC_FETCH_AND_ADD) for every RDS atomic cmsg. But the completion-side switch in rds_ib_send_unmap_op() only handles the non-masked opcodes, so a masked atomic completion falls through to default and returns rm == NULL while send->s_op is left set. rds_ib_send_cqe_handler() then dereferences the NULL rm via rm->m_final_op, oopsing in softirq context. An unprivileged AF_RDS sendmsg() of an atomic cmsg over an active RDS/IB connection triggers it; on hardware that natively accepts masked atomics (mlx4, mlx5) no extra setup is needed. RDS/IB: rds_ib_send_unmap_op: unexpected opcode 0xd in WR! Oops: general protection fault [#1] SMP KASAN KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000190-0x0000000000000197] RIP: rds_ib_send_cqe_handler+0x25c/0xb10 (net/rds/ib_send.c:282) Call Trace: <IRQ> rds_ib_send_cqe_handler (net/rds/ib_send.c:282) poll_scq (net/rds/ib_cm.c:274) rds_ib_tasklet_fn_send (net/rds/ib_cm.c:294) tasklet_action_common (kernel/softirq.c:943) handle_softirqs (kernel/softirq.c:573) run_ksoftirqd (kernel/softirq.c:479) </IRQ> Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception in interrupt Handle the masked atomic opcodes in the same case as the non-masked ones: they map to the same struct rds_message.atomic union member, so the existing container_of()/rds_ib_send_unmap_atomic() body is correct for them.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- EPSS 0.1% (30-day exploitation probability)+0
- Technical severity (medium)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
- Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Linux Linux, Linux Linux Kernel).
- Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (memory corruption), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux |
version 2.6.37≥ 20c72bd5f5f902e5a8745d51573699605bf8d21c and < 34080db3e70ddf94c38512ad2331e3c3afca6cc1≥ 20c72bd5f5f902e5a8745d51573699605bf8d21c and < 4fd34669558085bcb589aa2078a13b0ca79e360d≥ 20c72bd5f5f902e5a8745d51573699605bf8d21c and < dcf458120add64c96a6ef5cf719340453f6e6abf≥ 20c72bd5f5f902e5a8745d51573699605bf8d21c and < 0f7baa82a24813cdad0b06a6f8f07e4824af5ed5≥ 20c72bd5f5f902e5a8745d51573699605bf8d21c and < 0f22412a2f4fbbe0251c132abee045d15a90e5b6≥ 20c72bd5f5f902e5a8745d51573699605bf8d21c and < 6e4615164d185a26badb2f376a2449f4d174a5f0≥ 20c72bd5f5f902e5a8745d51573699605bf8d21c and < 4dd262f875e87653df50b138de1390ab0628e6b7 and 1 more≥ 20c72bd5f5f902e5a8745d51573699605bf8d21c and < a0148342badd8c9b2e46551766a27cb76c82e715 |
Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| Linux | Linux Kernel |
version 7.1-rc5version 7.1-rc7version 7.1-rc6≥ 2.6.37 and < 5.10.259version 7.1-rc4version 7.1-rc3version 7.1-rc2version 7.1-rc1 and 6 more≥ 6.19 and < 7.0.13≥ 6.13 and < 6.18.36≥ 6.7 and < 6.12.94≥ 6.2 and < 6.6.143≥ 5.16 and < 6.1.176≥ 5.11 and < 5.15.210 |
Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | 1.8 | 3.6 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.12%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
- Correlate service crashes/restarts with inbound traffic; repeated crashes may indicate attempts.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · linux/linux
- Record published
- Fix documented
- CVSS changed · 5.5
- Source status changed · → Analyzed
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
8 on the record
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/34080db3e70ddf94c38512ad2331e3c3afca6cc1
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/a0148342badd8c9b2e46551766a27cb76c82e715
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/dcf458120add64c96a6ef5cf719340453f6e6abf
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/4fd34669558085bcb589aa2078a13b0ca79e360d
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/4dd262f875e87653df50b138de1390ab0628e6b7
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/6e4615164d185a26badb2f376a2449f4d174a5f0
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/0f7baa82a24813cdad0b06a6f8f07e4824af5ed5
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/0f22412a2f4fbbe0251c132abee045d15a90e5b6
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Critical CVE-2026-99999 ipv4: validate checksum_start before completing checksum 10h
- Unknown CVE-2026-98432 ipv4: free inet_opt and ireq_opt after an RCU grace period 10h
- Unknown CVE-2026-98431 RDMA/uverbs: Fix mmap_lock/disassociation_lock circular dependency 1d
- Unknown CVE-2026-98430 RDMA/efa: Keep admin queues alive while IRQ is registered 1d
- Unknown CVE-2026-98429 RDMA/efa: Keep EQ resources alive while IRQ is registered 1d
- Unknown CVE-2026-98428 ALSA: usb: 6fire: Avoid embedded URBs 1d
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No CISA SSVC assessment.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-52939 is "net/rds: fix NULL deref in rds_ib_send_cqe_handler() on masked atomic completion", rated Medium. It affects Linux (Linux); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 5.5 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.12% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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