What is CVE-2026-45981?

CVE-2026-45981 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), affecting Linux kernel versions from 3.10 onward and patched in 6.6.128, 6.12.75, 6.18.14 and others. CVE-2026-45981 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-45981?

CVE-2026-45981 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity. 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-2026-45981?

Yes, CVE-2026-45981 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.6.128, 6.12.75, 6.18.14 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 3.10 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

Is CVE-2026-45981 actively exploited?

CVE-2026-45981 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is Memory Leak (CWE-401)?

The product does not release memory after use, causing gradual resource exhaustion. See MITRE CWE for full details: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/401.html

CVE-2026-45981

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: s390/cio: Fix device lifecycle handling in css_alloc_subchannel() `css_alloc_subchannel()` calls `device_initialize()` before setting up the DMA masks. If `dma_set_coherent_mask()` or `dma_set_mask()` fails, the error path frees the subchannel structure directly, bypassing the device model reference counting. Once `device_initialize()` has been called, the embedded struct device must be released via `put_device()`, allowing the release callback to free the container structure. Fix the error path by dropping the initial device reference with `put_device()` instead of calling `kfree()` directly. This ensures correct device lifetime handling and avoids potential use-after-free or double-free issues.

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2026-05-27

Last modified 2026-06-16

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

Weakness type

CWE-401

CVE-2026-45981 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 3.10 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.6.128, 6.12.75, 6.18.14, 6.19.4, 7.0 and their respective stable series.

Affected from

≥ 3.10

Fixed in

✓ 6.6.128 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.75 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.14 6.18.x ✓ 6.19.4 6.19.x ✓ 7.0

References

5 total

Kernel Git
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6715560527e343a387e4a0d2e6c401748e89fa55

Patch
Kernel Git
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/abb6e07f46a740cda4f07d1b561ae4eaa7a1df42

Patch
Kernel Git
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c35cfbb5341ba05ad1b4476ffc3c21cc3ff8f603

Patch
Kernel Git
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f65c75b0b9b5a390bc3beadcde0a6fbc3ad118f7

Patch
Kernel Git
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f96c5ccf95ae5f27218c1ce2d6a3ad2d3e105424

Patch

Details

CVE ID CVE-2026-45981

Severity Medium

CVSS score 5.5 / 10

CVSS version 3.1

Published 2026-05-27

Modified 2026-06-16

KEV No

Patch

Yes

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-45981?

CVE-2026-45981 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 3.10 onward and has been patched in 6.6.128, 6.12.75, 6.18.14 and others. CVE-2026-45981 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-45981?

CVE-2026-45981 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-2026-45981?

Yes. CVE-2026-45981 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.6.128, 6.12.75, 6.18.14 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 3.10 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
Is CVE-2026-45981 actively exploited?

No. CVE-2026-45981 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.