CVE-2026-46040

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: inotify: fix watch count leak when fsnotify_add_inode_mark_locked() fails When fsnotify_add_inode_mark_locked() fails in inotify_new_watch(), the error path calls inotify_remove_from_idr() but does not call dec_inotify_watches() to undo the preceding inc_inotify_watches(). This leaks a watch count, and repeated failures can exhaust the max_user_watches limit with -ENOSPC even when no watches are active. Prior to commit 1cce1eea0aff ("inotify: Convert to using per-namespace limits"), the watch count was incremented after fsnotify_add_mark_locked() succeeded, so this path was not affected. The conversion moved inc_inotify_watches() before the mark insertion without adding the corresponding rollback. Add the missing dec_inotify_watches() call in the error path.

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

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 4.11 and later are affected. Fixed in 5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175, 6.6.140, 6.12.86, 6.18.27, 7.0.4, 7.1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 4.11
Fixed in
✓ 5.10.258 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.209 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.175 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.140 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.86 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.27 6.18.x ✓ 7.0.4 7.0.x ✓ 7.1

References

8 total
Showing 5 of 8 references View all on NVD

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-46040?

    CVE-2026-46040 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.11 onward and has been patched in 5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175 and others. CVE-2026-46040 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-46040?

    CVE-2026-46040 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-2026-46040?

    Yes. CVE-2026-46040 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.11 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-46040 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-46040 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

Back to
All CVEs
View on
NVD / NIST