CVE-2024-26840: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cachefiles: fix memory leak in cachefiles_add_cache() The following memory leak ...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cachefiles: fix memory leak in cachefiles_add_cache() The following memory leak was reported after unbinding /dev/cachefiles: ================================================================== unreferenced object 0xffff9b674176e3c0 (size 192): comm "cachefilesd2", pid 680, jiffies 4294881224 hex dump (first 32 bytes): 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ backtrace (crc ea38a44b): [<ffffffff8eb8a1a5>] kmem_cache_alloc+0x2d5/0x370 [<ffffffff8e917f86>] prepare_creds+0x26/0x2e0 [<ffffffffc002eeef>] cachefiles_determine_cache_security+0x1f/0x120 [<ffffffffc00243ec>] cachefiles_add_cache+0x13c/0x3a0 [<ffffffffc0025216>] cachefiles_daemon_write+0x146/0x1c0 [<ffffffff8ebc4a3b>] vfs_write+0xcb/0x520 [<ffffffff8ebc5069>] ksys_write+0x69/0xf0 [<ffffffff8f6d4662>] do_syscall_64+0x72/0x140 [<ffffffff8f8000aa>] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x6e/0x76 ================================================================== Put the reference count of cache_cred in cachefiles_daemon_unbind() to fix the problem. And also put cache_cred in cachefiles_add_cache() error branch to avoid memory leaks.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability

0.28%

19.6th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-401

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions	Update
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 2.6.30, < 4.19.309	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 4.20, < 5.4.271	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.5, < 5.10.212	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.11, < 5.15.151	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.16, < 6.1.80	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.2, < 6.6.19	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.7, < 6.7.7	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	6.8	Rc1

References

Timeline

Published: Apr 17, 2024
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-26840?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cachefiles: fix memory leak in cachefiles_add_cache() The following memory leak was reported after unbinding /dev/cachefiles: ================================================================== unreferenced object 0xffff9b674176e3c0 (size 192): comm "cachefilesd2", pid 680, jiffies 4294881224 hex dump (first 32 bytes): 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ backtrace (crc ea38a44b): [<ffffffff8eb8a1a5>] kmem_cache_alloc+0x2d5/0x370 [<ffffffff8e917f86>] prepare_creds+0x26/0x2e0 [<ffffffffc002eeef>] cachefiles_determine_cache_security+0x1f/0x120 [<ffffffffc00243ec>] cachefiles_add_cache+0x13c/0x3a0 [<ffffffffc0025216>] cachefiles_daemon_write+0x146/0x1c0 [<ffffffff8ebc4a3b>] vfs_write+0xcb/0x520 [<ffffffff8ebc5069>] ksys_write+0x69/0xf0 [<ffffffff8f6d4662>] do_syscall_64+0x72/0x140 [<ffffffff8f8000aa>] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x6e/0x76 ================================================================== Put the reference count of cache_cred in cachefiles_daemon_unbind() to fix the problem. And also put cache_cred in cachefiles_add_cache() error branch to avoid memory leaks.

How severe is CVE-2024-26840?

CVE-2024-26840 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.28% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2024-26840?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.