CVE-2026-45887

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

Memory Leak in Linux Kernel Unix Stream Connect

Publication date: 2026-05-27

Last updated on: 2026-06-25

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: af_unix: Fix memleak of newsk in unix_stream_connect(). When prepare_peercred() fails in unix_stream_connect(), unix_release_sock() is not called for newsk, and the memory is leaked. Let's move prepare_peercred() before unix_create1().

CVSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-05-27

Last Modified

2026-06-25

Generated

2026-07-07

AI Q&A

2026-05-27

EPSS Evaluated

2026-07-05

NVD

CVE-2026-45887

EUVD

EUVD-2026-32353

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.19 (inc) to 6.19.4 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.16 (inc) to 6.18.14 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

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.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's AF_UNIX socket implementation. Specifically, when the function prepare_peercred() fails during the unix_stream_connect() process, the function unix_release_sock() is not called for the new socket (newsk), which causes a memory leak.

The fix involves moving the call to prepare_peercred() before unix_create1() to ensure proper cleanup and prevent the memory leak.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can lead to a memory leak in the Linux kernel when certain socket connection operations fail. Over time, this memory leak could cause increased memory usage, potentially degrading system performance or leading to resource exhaustion.

Mitigation Strategies

The vulnerability is a memory leak in the Linux kernel's af_unix subsystem caused by improper handling in unix_stream_connect().

To mitigate this vulnerability, you should update your Linux kernel to a version where this issue is fixed, as the patch involves moving prepare_peercred() before unix_create1() to ensure proper cleanup.

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