CVE-2026-43066
Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete
Memory Leak in Linux Kernel ext4 Filesystem

Publication date: 2026-05-05

Last updated on: 2026-05-29

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix iloc.bh leak in ext4_fc_replay_inode() error paths During code review, Joseph found that ext4_fc_replay_inode() calls ext4_get_fc_inode_loc() to get the inode location, which holds a reference to iloc.bh that must be released via brelse(). However, several error paths jump to the 'out' label without releasing iloc.bh: - ext4_handle_dirty_metadata() failure - sync_dirty_buffer() failure - ext4_mark_inode_used() failure - ext4_iget() failure Fix this by introducing an 'out_brelse' label placed just before the existing 'out' label to ensure iloc.bh is always released. Additionally, make ext4_fc_replay_inode() propagate errors properly instead of always returning 0.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-05-05
Last Modified
2026-05-29
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2026-05-05
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-14
NVD
CVE-2026-43066
EUVD
EUVD-2026-27365
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 12 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel 7.0
linux linux_kernel 7.0
linux linux_kernel 7.0
linux linux_kernel 7.0
linux linux_kernel 7.0
linux linux_kernel From 5.11 (inc) to 5.15.203 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 5.16 (inc) to 6.1.168 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.13 (inc) to 6.18.21 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.19 (inc) to 6.19.11 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.2 (inc) to 6.6.131 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.7 (inc) to 6.12.80 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 5.10 (inc) to 5.10.253 (exc)
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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 related to the Linux kernel's ext4 filesystem code, specifically in the function ext4_fc_replay_inode(). During error handling, the function fails to release a resource called iloc.bh properly in several error paths. This resource should be released using brelse(), but some error conditions cause the code to skip this release, leading to a resource leak.

The issue was fixed by adding an additional label in the code to ensure iloc.bh is always released before exiting the function, and by making the function propagate errors correctly instead of always returning success.

Impact Analysis

The vulnerability causes a resource leak in the ext4 filesystem code of the Linux kernel. This could potentially lead to increased memory usage or resource exhaustion over time if the error paths are triggered frequently.

While the description does not specify direct security impacts such as privilege escalation or data corruption, resource leaks can degrade system performance or stability, which might indirectly affect system reliability.

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