CVE-2026-99243

io-wq: order the exit bit against worker creation task work

CVE-2026-99243 is fixed in linux on 1 platform by DEBIAN-CVE-2026-99243 (version 6.12.115-1), released November 3, 2026. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: Routine.

Routine
CVSS
4.7
Moderate
Exploitation
None reported
No vendor assessment
CISA KEV
Not listed
Not in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
EPSS
n/a

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: io-wq: order the exit bit against worker creation task work io_wq_exit_workers() cancels task work for queued worker creation with task_work_cancel_match(). That has a plain load of task->task_works. io_queue_worker_create() adds the new entry and tests IO_WQ_BIT_EXIT to cancel it if the workqueue is already on its way out. That must be ordered. task_work_add() has a full barrier via cmpxchg(). But io_wq_exit_start() sets the bit with set_bit() which doesn't have any memory ordering. So afaict, on weakly ordered architectures the exiting task may load task_works before the store of the bit is visible. The other side tests the bit before the store is visible as well. So the entry remains queued with worker_refs and the exiting task waits on worker_done indefinitely. If the task still has rings then io_uring_del_tctx_node() provides the barrier via test_and_set_bit() in io_wq_set_exit_on_idle(). When it has closed all rings though that barrier is gone. Add the barrier after the set_bit().

Where it's fixed

ProductFixed inFixReleased
Linux
linux · Debian 13.5 (trixie) 6.12.115-1 DEBIAN-CVE-2026-99243 Nov 3, 2026

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