CVE-2026-43065

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: always drain queued discard work in ext4_mb_release() While reviewing recent ext4 patch[1], Sashiko raised the following concern[2]: > If the filesystem is initially mounted with the discard option, > deleting files will populate sbi->s_discard_list and queue > s_discard_work. If it is then remounted with nodiscard, the > EXT4_MOUNT_DISCARD flag is cleared, but the pending s_discard_work is > neither cancelled nor flushed. [1] https://lore.kernel.org/r/[email protected]/ [2] https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/20260319094545.19291-1-qiang.zhang%40linux.dev The concern was valid, but it had nothing to do with the patch[1]. One of the problems with Sashiko in its current (early) form is that it will detect pre-existing issues and report it as a problem with the patch that it is reviewing. In practice, it would be hard to hit deliberately (unless you are a malicious syzkaller fuzzer), since it would involve mounting the file system with -o discard, and then deleting a large number of files, remounting the file system with -o nodiscard, and then immediately unmounting the file system before the queued discard work has a change to drain on its own. Fix it because it's a real bug, and to avoid Sashiko from raising this concern when analyzing future patches to mballoc.c.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-05-05
Last modified 2026-05-29
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

5.5

out of 10
Medium
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 5.15 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.15.203, 6.1.168, 6.6.131, 6.12.80, 6.18.21, 6.19.11, 7.0 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 5.15
Fixed in
✓ 5.15.203 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.168 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.131 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.80 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.21 6.18.x ✓ 6.19.11 6.19.x ✓ 7.0

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2026-43065 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-43065?

    CVE-2026-43065 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.15 onward and has been patched in 5.15.203, 6.1.168, 6.6.131 and others. CVE-2026-43065 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-43065?

    CVE-2026-43065 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-2026-43065?

    Yes — CVE-2026-43065 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.15.203, 6.1.168, 6.6.131 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.15 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-43065 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2026-43065 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.