CVE Intelligence
Medium

CVE-2026-53125 — md: fix array_state=clear sysfs deadlock

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: md: fix array_state=clear sysfs deadlock When "clear" is written to array_state, md_attr_store() breaks sysfs active protection so the array can delete itself from its own sysfs store method. However, md_attr_store() currently drops the mddev reference before calling sysfs_unbreak_active_protection(). Once do_md_stop(..., 0) has made the mddev eligible for delayed deletion, the temporary kobject reference taken by sysfs_break_active_protection() can become the last kobject reference protecting the md kobject. That allows sysfs_unbreak_active_protection() to drop the last kobject reference from the current sysfs writer context. kobject teardown then recurses into kernfs removal while the current sysfs node is still being unwound, and lockdep reports recursive locking on kn->active with kernfs_drain() in the call chain. Reproducer on an existing level: 1. Create an md0 linear array and activate it: mknod /dev/md0 b 9 0 echo none > /sys/block/md0/md/metadata_version echo linear > /sys/block/md0/md/level echo 1 > /sys/block/md0/md/raid_disks echo "$(cat /sys/class/block/sdb/dev)" > /sys/block/md0/md/new_dev echo "$(($(cat /sys/class/block/sdb/size) / 2))" > \ /sys/block/md0/md/dev-sdb/size echo 0 > /sys/block/md0/md/dev-sdb/slot echo active > /sys/block/md0/md/array_state 2. Wait briefly for the array to settle, then clear it: sleep 2 echo clear > /sys/block/md0/md/array_state The warning looks like: WARNING: possible recursive locking detected bash/588 is trying to acquire lock: (kn->active#65) at __kernfs_remove+0x157/0x1d0 but task is already holding lock: (kn->active#65) at sysfs_unbreak_active_protection+0x1f/0x40 ... Call Trace: kernfs_drain __kernfs_remove kernfs_remove_by_name_ns sysfs_remove_group sysfs_remove_groups __kobject_del kobject_put md_attr_store kernfs_fop_write_iter vfs_write ksys_write Restore active protection before mddev_put() so the extra sysfs kobject reference is dropped while the mddev is still held alive. The actual md kobject deletion is then deferred until after the sysfs write path has fully returned.

Published Jun 24, 2026 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: Linux

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
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.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
0.12%
ahead of 2% of scored CVEs · Oct 15, 2026
Affects
Linux
Linux and 1 more
CVSS base
5.5
Medium · 1 source(s)

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)

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.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Linux Linux, Linux Linux Kernel).
  2. Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
  3. Search available logs for exploit probes, errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Linux Linux ≥ 9e59d609763f70a992a8f3808dabcce60f14eb5c and < 62c44566da7493ee48ef17e8507bb798338a07cb≥ 9e59d609763f70a992a8f3808dabcce60f14eb5c and < 92ad0ec509ffb188d8f849b63148664df37b4a52≥ 9e59d609763f70a992a8f3808dabcce60f14eb5c and < 2aa72276fab9851dbd59c2daeb4b590c5a113908version 6.17 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Linux Linux Kernel ≥ 6.17 and < 6.18.33≥ 6.19 and < 7.0.10 Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored 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.

CWE-667

Other CVEs with this weakness →

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 15, 2026 · 3 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.
endpoint telemetry (EDR)

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · linux/linux
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 13, 2026
  • Fix documented
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVSS changed · 5.5
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Analyzed
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVE published
    Jun 24, 2026 · Linux

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

3 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Linux
every CVE for this vendor
CWE-667
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-99999 ipv4: validate checksum_start before completing checksum 22h
  • CVE-2026-98432 ipv4: free inet_opt and ireq_opt after an RCU grace period 22h
  • CVE-2026-98424 wifi: cfg80211: undo netns switch if renaming the wiphy fails 1d
  • CVE-2026-98425 wifi: mac80211: don't warn when an IBSS has no channel to scan 1d
  • CVE-2026-98426 wifi: mwifiex: fix IRQ leak using wrong index in MSI-X error path 1d
  • CVE-2026-98427 net/sched: codel: bound the dropping loop per dequeue call 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-2026-53125 is "md: fix array_state=clear sysfs deadlock", 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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