Vulnerability Snapshot
CVE-2026-90173 is rated CRITICAL — exploitation is trivial or already observed in the wild and impact is severe. Patch immediately, not on the next maintenance window.
Executive Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
smb: smbdirect: free completion queues with ib_free_cq()
smbdirect_connection_destroy_qp() creates the send and receive completion
queues with ib_alloc_cq_any(), which for IB_POLL_WORKQUEUE arms an
internal completion handler that runs ib_cq_poll_work() on a workqueue.
Tearing those CQs down with ib_destroy_cq() frees them without first
cancelling that poll work.
If the provider posts a completion late -- for example Soft-RoCE (rxe)
posting an RNR error from rxe_receiver() after rdma_destroy_qp() -- the
handler re-queues ib_cq_poll_work() on the already-freed CQ, and a
follow-on access faults in rxe_req_notify_cq().
Use ib_free_cq(), which cancel_work_sync()es the poll work before freeing
the CQ, so no completion handler can run against a freed queue.
[ 1236.599526] ==================================================================
[ 1236.602142] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ib_cq_poll_work+0xd0/0x1a0
[ 1236
Why It Matters
CVE-2026-90173 is rated CRITICAL severity, requiring immediate attention from security teams.
CVSS Base Score: 9.8/10
🛡️What Defenders Should Check
Use Vulnios to continuously monitor your exposure to CVE-2026-90173 and similar vulnerabilities.
References & Sources
How Vulnios Detects This
Vulnios scans for this vulnerability using Trivy and Grype for SBOM-based CVE matching and Vulnios CVE feed continuous monitoring against your asset inventory. Run a scan against your environment to see whether you are exposed; findings are linked back to the original CVE record so triage starts with the patch path already known.
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Sources
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-90173?
CVE-2026-90173 is a critical-severity vulnerability tracked under the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures program. In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
smb: smbdirect: free completion queues with ib_free_cq()
smbdirect_connection_destroy_qp() creates the send and receive completion
Am I affected?
Affected technology is listed in the Affected Products section above. If your asset inventory contains any of them, assume in-scope until you can prove otherwise.
How urgent is the response?
Critical: do not wait for your normal patch cycle. Verify exposure today, apply the vendor patch immediately, and add detection rules for any post-exploit indicators.
How do I remediate?
Apply the vendor patch listed in the upstream advisory linked under Sources. If the patch is not yet available, follow the vendor-supplied workaround (often a config flag or feature disable) and add detections for the published exploit pattern in your SIEM. Re-scan after the patch lands to confirm the finding clears.
Where can I track exploitation activity?
Watch CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog for CVE-2026-90173. Cross-reference with public exploit databases and your own SIEM/IDS for indicator-of-compromise patterns. Vulnios tracks KEV status automatically and surfaces it on the asset findings view.
How does Vulnios help with this?
Vulnios continuously cross-references your asset inventory against the live CVE feed (NVD, vendor advisories, CISA KEV, and curated OSINT). When a new CVE matches your environment, you get a prioritized finding with the severity, KEV status, exploit-prediction (EPSS), and a direct path to the vendor patch. You can start a free scan from the homepage.
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