Bug 2535325 (CVE-2026-89991)

Summary: CVE-2026-89991 kernel: bpf: Fix infinite loop in pcpu_freelist push with one possible CPU
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
Status: NEW --- QA Contact:
Severity: medium Docs Contact:
Priority: medium    
Version: unspecifiedCC: akhatavk, aos-team-art-private, asdas, dpaolell, jdelft, jupierce, lgarciaa, mbiarnes, ppalepu, ppostler, prdhamdh, rhel-process-autobot, sghai, sidsharm, suppawar, vlaad, watson-tool-maintainers
Target Milestone: ---Keywords: Security
Target Release: ---   
Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
Whiteboard:
Fixed In Version: Doc Type: ---
Doc Text:
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Berkeley Packet Filter (BPF) component. When a Non-Maskable Interrupt (NMI) re-enters the `pcpu_freelist_push` function on a system configured with a single possible CPU, and the interrupted context holds the freelist lock, an infinite loop can occur. This prevents the system from making progress, leading to a Denial of Service (DoS).
Story Points: ---
Clone Of: Environment:
Last Closed: Type: ---
Regression: --- Mount Type: ---
Documentation: --- CRM:
Verified Versions: Category: ---
oVirt Team: --- RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
Cloudforms Team: --- Target Upstream Version:
Embargoed:

Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-09-16 12:04:09 UTC
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

bpf: Fix infinite loop in pcpu_freelist push with one possible CPU

__pcpu_freelist_push() can loop forever when only one CPU is possible
and an NMI re-enters pcpu_freelist_push() while the interrupted context
holds that CPU's freelist lock.

After the current-CPU fast path fails, the fallback loop walks
cpu_possible_mask while skipping the current CPU. With CONFIG_SMP=n, or
when an SMP kernel is limited to one possible CPU with nr_cpus=1 or
possible_cpus=1, there are no other possible CPUs to examine. The loop
therefore makes no lock acquisition attempt and can never make progress.

The following stack was observed on a UP system:

  NMI context:
    pcpu_freelist_push
    free_htab_elem
    htab_map_delete_elem
    [perf-event BPF program]
    __perf_event_overflow
    perf_event_nmi_handler
    exc_nmi

  Interrupted context:
    __pcpu_freelist_push
    pcpu_freelist_push
    free_htab_elem
    htab_map_delete_elem
    [raw_tp/sys_enter BPF program]
    __bpf_trace_sys_enter
    do_syscall_64

raw_res_spin_lock() detects the same-CPU recursive acquisition and
returns -EDEADLK, but the subsequent fallback loop has no candidate head
on a system with one possible CPU.

Restore the extra fallback head that existed before the rqspinlock
conversion. Keep the current-CPU fast path, then try the other possible
CPUs and finally the extra head. The additional head lets a push, which
cannot fail without losing a preallocated element, make progress when the
only per-CPU head is held by the interrupted context.

Also check the extra head from the pop path so that nodes placed there
can be reused.