CVE-2026-63887: scsi: target: iscsi: Bound iscsi_encode_text_output() appends to rsp_buf
Vulnerability summary
CVE-2026-63887 is a critical (CVSS 9.8) vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.78% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 55.8% of scored vulnerabilities.
Severe, CVSS 9.8 (CVE.org); no exploitation reported by the 5 checked sources; EPSS 1% (FIRST, 03-11-2026)
Source freshness unavailable
How is this decided?Advisory lineage
Upstream 0 · Downstream 182 · Related 171Showing 100 of 182.
Timeline
- 19-07-2026PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
- 19-10-2026Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: scsi: target: iscsi: Bound iscsi_encode_text_output() appends to rsp_buf iscsi_encode_text_output() concatenates "key=value\0" records into login->rsp_buf, an 8192-byte kzalloc(MAX_KEY_VALUE_PAIRS) buffer allocated in iscsit_alloc_login_setup_buffer(). The three sprintf() call sites in this function (lines 1398, 1411, 1424 in v7.1-rc2) never check the remaining buffer capacity: *length += sprintf(output_buf, "%s=%s", er->key, er->value); *length += 1; output_buf = textbuf + *length; The 8192-byte ceiling at iscsi_target_check_login_request() bounds the *input* Login PDU payload, but a single PDU can carry up to 2048 minimal four-byte "a=b\0" pairs, each unknown key expanding to a 16-byte "a=NotUnderstood\0" output record via iscsi_add_notunderstood_response(). 2048 * 16 = 32 KiB of output into an 8 KiB buffer, producing a ~24 KiB heap overrun in the kmalloc-8k slab. The fix introduces a static iscsi_encode_text_record() helper that uses snprintf() with a per-call bounds check against the remaining buffer, and threads a u32 textbuf_size parameter through iscsi_encode_text_output(). Both call sites in iscsi_target_handle_csg_zero() (PHASE_SECURITY) and iscsi_target_handle_csg_one() (PHASE_OPERATIONAL) pass MAX_KEY_VALUE_PAIRS. On overflow the encoder logs the condition, calls iscsi_release_extra_responses() to drop queued records, and returns -1; both caller sites now emit ISCSI_STATUS_CLS_INITIATOR_ERR / ISCSI_LOGIN_STATUS_INIT_ERR via iscsit_tx_login_rsp() before returning, so the initiator sees an explicit failed-login response rather than a silent connection drop. (Prior to this patch only the PHASE_OPERATIONAL caller did that; the PHASE_SECURITY caller is converted to the same shape.)
CVSS metrics
4 scores · 4 sources · 1 version- OSV · UbuntuEcosystem advisory · calculated9.8CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- OSV · DebianEcosystem advisory · calculated9.8CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- NVDNIST9.8CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS trend
Probability
0.78%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Percentile
56%
Versus all other CVEs
30-day change
No change 0.00 pp
From 0.78% on 04-10-2026
Known exploited
Compare KEV catalogsNot in the CISA KEV catalog.
Not in the ENISA CNW catalog.
Not in the CIRCL catalog.
Public exploits
0 foundNo public exploits indexed.
Weaknesses
CWE · root cause- CWE-120Buffer Copy without Checking Size of InputThe product copies an input buffer to an output buffer without verifying that the size of the input buffer is less than the size of the output buffer.
- CWE-122Heap-based Buffer OverflowThe product writes past the end of a buffer that was allocated on the heap.
Affected systems
Known conditions: network-reachable, no authentication, no user interaction (CVSS vector). Other conditions: not stated in public data.
Ubuntu167 products
- linuxAll versions (No fix recorded) | < 5.15.0-194.204 | < 6.8.0-142.142 | < 7.0.0-28.28
- linux-allwinner-5.19All versions (No fix recorded)
- linux-awsAll versions (No fix recorded) | < 5.15.0-1116.123 | < 6.8.0-1065.68 | < 7.0.0-1009.9
- linux-aws-5.0All versions (No fix recorded)
- linux-aws-5.11All versions (No fix recorded)
Linux2 products
- linux≥ e48354ce078c079996f89d715dfa44814b4eba01, < cb84e974fb172bc71386289f37b78ea679410b39 | ≥ e48354ce078c079996f89d715dfa44814b4eba01, < b19382dfc6e7dee6d3859ba44b6ca29e97a51627 | ≥ e48354ce078c079996f89d715dfa44814b4eba01, < efe633e600a0ac68357206fede21b1ac8178f3b8 | ≥ e48354ce078c079996f89d715dfa44814b4eba01, < 4e9f0c4a645c995bc75c06c7b3644254ffb4c76b | ≥ e48354ce078c079996f89d715dfa44814b4eba01, < 30bf335e8fe170322080ee001f05ca29c50680b3 | ≥ e48354ce078c079996f89d715dfa44814b4eba01, < 594a40360012ce5f94c715d5e3b20fa3af7d525a | ≥ e48354ce078c079996f89d715dfa44814b4eba01, < 26e4a304b7e6f1338c675d527608d32549c091db | ≥ e48354ce078c079996f89d715dfa44814b4eba01, < bf33e01f88388c43e285492a63e539df6ffed64c | 3.1
- linux_kernel≥ 3.1, < 5.10.259 | ≥ 5.11, < 5.15.210 | ≥ 5.16, < 6.1.176 | ≥ 6.2, < 6.6.143 | ≥ 6.7, < 6.12.93 | ≥ 6.13, < 6.18.35 | ≥ 6.19, < 7.0.12 | 7.1:rc1 | 7.1:rc2 | 7.1:rc3 | 7.1:rc4 | 7.1:rc5
Debian1 product
- linux< 6.1.176-1 | < 6.12.94-1 | < 7.0.12-1
3 vendors · 170 products