CVE-2026-52990
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fsnotify: fix inode reference leak in fsnotify_recalc_mask() fsnotify_recalc_mask() fails to handle the return value of __fsnotify_recalc_mask(), which may return an inode pointer that needs to be released via fsnotify_drop_object() when the connector's HAS_IREF flag transitions from set to cleared. This manifests as a hung task with the following call trace: INFO: task umount:1234 blocked for more than 120 seconds. Call Trace: __schedule schedule fsnotify_sb_delete generic_shutdown_super kill_anon_super cleanup_mnt task_work_run do_exit do_group_exit The race window that triggers the iref leak: Thread A (adding mark) Thread B (removing mark) ────────────────────── ──────────────────────── fsnotify_add_mark_locked(): fsnotify_add_mark_list(): spin_lock(conn->lock) add mark_B(evictable) to list spin_unlock(conn->lock) return /* ---- gap: no lock held ---- */ fsnotify_detach_mark(mark_A): spin_lock(mark_A->lock) clear ATTACHED flag on mark_A spin_unlock(mark_A->lock) fsnotify_put_mark(mark_A) fsnotify_recalc_mask(): spin_lock(conn->lock) __fsnotify_recalc_mask(): /* mark_A skipped: ATTACHED cleared */ /* only mark_B(evictable) remains */ want_iref = false has_iref = true /* not yet cleared */ -> HAS_IREF transitions true -> false -> returns inode pointer spin_unlock(conn->lock) /* BUG: return value discarded! * iput() and fsnotify_put_sb_watched_objects() * are never called */ Fix this by deferring the transition true -> false of HAS_IREF flag from fsnotify_recalc_mask() (Thread A) to fsnotify_put_mark() (thread B).
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
5.10.220,
5.15.154,
5.19
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.12.91,
6.18.33,
7.0.10,
7.1
and their respective stable series.
References
4 totalFrequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-52990?
CVE-2026-52990 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.10.220 onward and has been patched in 6.12.91, 6.18.33, 7.0.10 and others. CVE-2026-52990 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
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Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-52990?
Yes — CVE-2026-52990 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.91, 6.18.33, 7.0.10 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.10.220 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-52990 actively exploited?
No — CVE-2026-52990 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.