CVE-2026-97537: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: scsi: qla2xxx: Fix queue teardown NULL dma_free and bitmap locking qla25xx_free_req

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: scsi: qla2xxx: Fix queue teardown NULL dma_free and bitmap locking qla25xx_free_req_que()

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: scsi: qla2xxx: Fix queue teardown NULL dma_free and bitmap locking qla25xx_free_req_que() and qla25xx_free_rsp_que() have two pre-existing bugs exposed on the error path of qla25xx_create_{req,rsp}_que(): 1. When dma_alloc_coherent() fails during queue creation, the error path calls the free function with req->ring / rsp->ring still NULL (from kzalloc). The unconditional dma_free_coherent() with a NULL cpu_addr is undefined behavior and can panic. 2. The free functions clear req_qid_map / rsp_qid_map under vport_lock, but the create functions protect the same bitmaps with mq_lock. This provides no mutual exclusion. Additionally, the create error path clears the bit and releases mq_lock before calling the free function, creating a window where another thread can allocate the same que_id and have its ha->req_q_map entry clobbered by the subsequent lockless NULL assignment in the free function. Fix by: - Guarding dma_free_coherent() with a NULL check on the ring pointer. - Using mq_lock (the lock held by all creators) in the free functions to atomically NULL the map

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.21%, higher than 10% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

Weekly security brief

The flaws that hit local websites, every Friday.

One short email: what got exploited this week, which WordPress plugins broke, and what to check. Unsubscribe in one click.