CVE-2026-89803

drm/nouveau: unsubscribe the channel-kill event before the fence context

Published Sep 16, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 7.8 High EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

drm/nouveau: unsubscribe the channel-kill event before the fence context

nouveau_channel_del() tears the fence context down first and only drops
the channel-kill subscription later, in the middle of the nvif object
teardown:

if (chan->fence)
nouveau_fence(chan->cli->drm)->context_del(chan);
...
nvif_object_dtor(&chan->vram);
nvif_event_dtor(&chan->kill);

The subscribed handler is nouveau_channel_killed(), which calls
nouveau_channel_kill() and from there nouveau_fence_context_kill() on
chan->fence. A kill event delivered in that window takes fctx->lock and
walks fctx->pending on a fence context that context_del() has already
freed.

Nothing reaches this below Fermi today, because the subscription is
gated on FERMI_CHANNEL_GPFIFO and nothing kills a channel there. On
Fermi and newer the window is real but narrow, since a kill has to land
exactly while the channel is being destroyed. That is reason enough on
its own, which is why this carries a Fixes: tag. The last patch in this
series subscribes Tesla channels as well; nothing kills those today, so
it does not widen the exposure now, but it is the groundwork for a
recovery path that would, and the ordering is better fixed before that
lands than alongside it.

Drop the subscription before anything it depends on is torn down.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

Source ID Title
Debian DLA Debian DLA DLA-4817-1 linux-6.12 security update
Debian DSA Debian DSA DSA-6528-1 linux security update
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9002-1 Linux kernel (NVIDIA Tegra) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9019-1 Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9020-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9022-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9023-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9024-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9025-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9026-1 Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9039-1 Linux kernel (Azure CVM) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9040-1 Linux kernel (Low Latency NVIDIA) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-9066-1 Linux kernel (HWE) vulnerabilities
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-416
Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/nouveau: unsubscribe the channel-kill event before the fence context nouveau_channel_del() tears the fence context down first and only drops the channel-kill subscription later, in the middle of the nvif object teardown: if (chan->fence) nouveau_fence(chan->cli->drm)->context_del(chan); ... nvif_object_dtor(&chan->vram); nvif_event_dtor(&chan->kill); The subscribed handler is nouveau_channel_killed(), which calls nouveau_channel_kill() and from there nouveau_fence_context_kill() on chan->fence. A kill event delivered in that window takes fctx->lock and walks fctx->pending on a fence context that context_del() has already freed. Nothing reaches this below Fermi today, because the subscription is gated on FERMI_CHANNEL_GPFIFO and nothing kills a channel there. On Fermi and newer the window is real but narrow, since a kill has to land exactly while the channel is being destroyed. That is reason enough on its own, which is why this carries a Fixes: tag. The last patch in this series subscribes Tesla channels as well; nothing kills those today, so it does not widen the exposure now, but it is the groundwork for a recovery path that would, and the ordering is better fixed before that lands than alongside it. Drop the subscription before anything it depends on is torn down.
Title drm/nouveau: unsubscribe the channel-kill event before the fence context
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
References
Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
Linux
Published
Updated
Oct 30, 2026, 12:33 PM
Reserved
Sep 11, 2026, 7:38 PM
Status
Received
Published
Sep 16, 2026, 11:16 AM
Modified
Oct 30, 2026, 1:20 PM