CVE-2026-23297
MediumIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfsd: Fix cred ref leak in nfsd_nl_threads_set_doit(). syzbot reported memory leak of struct cred. [0] nfsd_nl_threads_set_doit() passes get_current_cred() to nfsd_svc(), but put_cred() is not called after that. The cred is finally passed down to _svc_xprt_create(), which calls get_cred() with the cred for struct svc_xprt. The ownership of the refcount by get_current_cred() is not transferred to anywhere and is just leaked. nfsd_svc() is also called from write_threads(), but it does not bump file->f_cred there. nfsd_nl_threads_set_doit() is called from sendmsg() and current->cred does not go away. Let's use current_cred() in nfsd_nl_threads_set_doit(). [0]: BUG: memory leak unreferenced object 0xffff888108b89480 (size 184): comm "syz-executor", pid 5994, jiffies 4294943386 hex dump (first 32 bytes): 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ backtrace (crc 369454a7): kmemleak_alloc_recursive include/linux/kmemleak.h:44 [inline] slab_post_alloc_hook mm/slub.c:4958 [inline] slab_alloc_node mm/slub.c:5263 [inline] kmem_cache_alloc_noprof+0x412/0x580 mm/slub.c:5270 prepare_creds+0x22/0x600 kernel/cred.c:185 copy_creds+0x44/0x290 kernel/cred.c:286 copy_process+0x7a7/0x2870 kernel/fork.c:2086 kernel_clone+0xac/0x6e0 kernel/fork.c:2651 __do_sys_clone+0x7f/0xb0 kernel/fork.c:2792 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 [inline] do_syscall_64+0xa4/0xf80 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f
CVSS 3.1 score
5.5
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness type
CWE-401CVE-2026-23297 is a Memory Leak vulnerability
What is Memory Leak?
The product does not release memory after use, causing gradual resource exhaustion. Learn more on MITRE CWE
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
6.10
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.12.77,
6.18.17,
6.19.7,
7.0
and their respective stable series.
References
The following references provide additional information about CVE-2026-23297 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.
-
PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1cb968a2013ffa8112d52ebe605009ea1c6a582c
-
PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/27c13c5bb0948e3b5c64e59f8a903231896fab9b
-
PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/41170716421c25cd20b39e83f0e0762e212b377b
Frequently asked questions
-
What is CVE-2026-23297?
CVE-2026-23297 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as a Memory Leak flaw (CWE-401) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.10 onward and has been patched in 6.12.77, 6.18.17, 6.19.7 and others. CVE-2026-23297 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
-
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-23297?
CVE-2026-23297 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. -
Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-23297?
Yes — CVE-2026-23297 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.77, 6.18.17, 6.19.7 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 6.10 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
-
Is CVE-2026-23297 actively exploited?
No — CVE-2026-23297 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
-
What is Memory Leak (CWE-401)?
The product does not release memory after use, causing gradual resource exhaustion. View CWE-401 on MITRE CWE →