CVE-2026-23091
Unknown Unknown - Not Provided
Reference Leak in Linux Kernel intel_th Device on open

Publication date: 2026-02-04

Last updated on: 2026-03-17

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: intel_th: fix device leak on output open() Make sure to drop the reference taken when looking up the th device during output device open() on errors and on close(). Note that a recent commit fixed the leak in a couple of open() error paths but not all of them, and the reference is still leaking on successful open().
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Meta Information
Published
2026-02-04
Last Modified
2026-03-17
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2026-02-04
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-14
NVD
CVE-2026-23091
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 12 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel 6.19
linux linux_kernel 6.19
linux linux_kernel 6.19
linux linux_kernel 6.19
linux linux_kernel 6.19
linux linux_kernel From 5.11 (inc) to 5.15.199 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 5.16 (inc) to 6.1.162 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.2 (inc) to 6.6.122 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.7 (inc) to 6.12.68 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.13 (inc) to 6.18.8 (exc)
linux linux_kernel 6.19
linux linux_kernel From 4.4 (inc) to 5.10.249 (exc)
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-401 The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, making the memory unavailable for reallocation and reuse.
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a device reference leak in the Linux kernel's intel_th driver. Specifically, when opening an output device, the code fails to properly drop a reference to the device in certain error paths and even on successful open operations. This leads to a resource leak where references to the device are not released as they should be.

Impact Analysis

The impact of this vulnerability is primarily related to resource management within the Linux kernel. The leaking of device references can cause increased memory usage or resource exhaustion over time, potentially leading to degraded system performance or instability.

Compliance Impact

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Detection Guidance

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