CVE-2026-74359: Linux Vulnerability (CVSS 7.8)

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: configfs_lookup(): don't leave ->s_dentry dangling on failure Normally ->s_dentry is cleared when dentry it's pointing to becomes negative (on eviction, realistically). However, that only happens if dentry gets to be positive in the first place; in case of inode allocation failure dentry never becomes positive, so ->d_iput() is not called at all. We do part of what normally would've been done by configfs_d_iput() (dropping the reference to configfs_dirent) manually, but we do not clear ->s_dentry there. Sloppy as it is, it does not matter in case of configfs_create_{dir,link}() - there configfs_dirent does not survive dropping the sole reference to it. However, for configfs_lookup() it *does* survive, with a dangling pointer to soon to be freed dentry sitting it its ->s_dentry. Subsequent getdents(2) in that directory will end up dereferencing that pointer in order to pick the inode number. Use after free... This is the minimal fix; the right approach is to set the linkage between dentry and configfs_dirent only after we know that we have an inode, but that takes more surgery and the bug had been there since 2006, so...

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.8/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.17%

7.0th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

Source: CNA advisory (CVE.org). NVD analysis pending.

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux	>= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d, < 3e83b2203aa59bd279e4f677ec793d49dc9d019e; >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d, < b6e9c82522ddaa3ac0706b295ff4a71975d4f883; >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d, < eee07d769da5ac4e4f7bd0bc17828646a318d499; >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d, < 9c747dcee164ead300de90550ad9e4122f0d1bbb; >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d, < c3b073a209a9baa691b744318ac929fecdd8847c; >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d, < 57088b06109f3222963c639d8d743f42c2899b13; >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d, < 10da12d352b7b2bb330a8609fdda9a58bf0e9856
Linux	Linux	2.6.16

References

Timeline

Published: Aug 15, 2026
Last Modified: Aug 17, 2026
Status: Received

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-74359?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: configfs_lookup(): don't leave ->s_dentry dangling on failure Normally ->s_dentry is cleared when dentry it's pointing to becomes negative (on eviction, realistically). However, that only happens if dentry gets to be positive in the first place; in case of inode allocation failure dentry never becomes positive, so ->d_iput() is not called at all. We do part of what normally would've been done by configfs_d_iput() (dropping the reference to configfs_dirent) manually, but we do not clear ->s_dentry there. Sloppy as it is, it does not matter in case of configfs_create_{dir,link}() - there configfs_dirent does not survive dropping the sole reference to it. However, for configfs_lookup() it *does* survive, with a dangling pointer to soon to be freed dentry sitting it its ->s_dentry. Subsequent getdents(2) in that directory will end up dereferencing that pointer in order to pick the inode number. Use after free... This is the minimal fix; the right approach is to set the linkage between dentry and configfs_dirent only after we know that we have an inode, but that takes more surgery and the bug had been there since 2006, so...

How severe is CVE-2026-74359?

CVE-2026-74359 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.17% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2026-74359?

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.

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