CVE-2026-45961
Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete
Memory Leak in GFS2 Filesystem

Publication date: 2026-05-27

Last updated on: 2026-06-16

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: gfs2: fix memory leaks in gfs2_fill_super error path Fix two memory leaks in the gfs2_fill_super() error handling path when transitioning a filesystem to read-write mode fails. First leak: kthread objects (thread_struct, task_struct, etc.) When gfs2_freeze_lock_shared() fails after init_threads() succeeds, the created kernel threads (logd and quotad) are never destroyed. This occurs because the fail_per_node label doesn't call gfs2_destroy_threads(). Second leak: quota bitmap buffer (8192 bytes) When gfs2_make_fs_rw() fails after gfs2_quota_init() succeeds but before other operations complete, the allocated quota bitmap is never freed. The fix moves thread cleanup to the fail_per_node label to handle all error paths uniformly. gfs2_destroy_threads() is safe to call unconditionally as it checks for NULL pointers. Quota cleanup is added in gfs2_make_fs_rw() to properly handle the withdrawal case where quota initialization succeeds but the filesystem is then withdrawn. Thread leak backtrace (gfs2_freeze_lock_shared failure): unreferenced object 0xffff88801d7bca80 (size 4480): copy_process+0x3a1/0x4670 kernel/fork.c:2422 kernel_clone+0xf3/0x6e0 kernel/fork.c:2779 kthread_create_on_node+0x100/0x150 kernel/kthread.c:478 init_threads+0xab/0x350 fs/gfs2/ops_fstype.c:611 gfs2_fill_super+0xe5c/0x1240 fs/gfs2/ops_fstype.c:1265 Quota leak backtrace (gfs2_make_fs_rw failure): unreferenced object 0xffff88812de7c000 (size 8192): gfs2_quota_init+0xe5/0x820 fs/gfs2/quota.c:1409 gfs2_make_fs_rw+0x7a/0xe0 fs/gfs2/super.c:149 gfs2_fill_super+0xfbb/0x1240 fs/gfs2/ops_fstype.c:1275
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Meta Information
Published
2026-05-27
Last Modified
2026-06-16
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2026-05-27
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-15
NVD
CVE-2026-45961
EUVD
EUVD-2026-32245
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 4 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel From 5.10.173 (inc) to 5.11 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 5.15.99 (inc) to 5.16 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.1.16 (inc) to 6.2 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.2.3 (inc) to 6.19.4 (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 involves two memory leaks in the Linux kernel's gfs2 filesystem code, specifically in the gfs2_fill_super() error handling path when transitioning a filesystem to read-write mode fails.

The first leak occurs when kernel threads (such as logd and quotad) created during initialization are not destroyed if a certain lock operation fails, because the error handling does not call the thread destruction function.

The second leak involves a quota bitmap buffer of 8192 bytes that is allocated but never freed if quota initialization succeeds but subsequent operations fail.

The fix ensures that thread cleanup is always performed on error paths and that quota buffers are properly freed when the filesystem transition fails.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can lead to memory leaks in the Linux kernel when using the gfs2 filesystem, which may cause increased memory usage over time.

If the leaks accumulate, they could degrade system performance or stability, potentially leading to resource exhaustion.

Mitigation Strategies

The vulnerability involves memory leaks in the gfs2_fill_super error path in the Linux kernel related to gfs2 filesystem operations.

To mitigate this vulnerability, update your Linux kernel to a version where this issue is fixed, as the fix involves proper cleanup of kernel threads and quota bitmap buffers in error paths.

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