Linux Kernel up to 6.18.38/7.1.3/7.2-rc1 xfs xfs_dqinode_metadir_create memory leak

CVSS Meta Temp Score
CVSS is a standardized scoring system to determine possibilities of attacks. The Temp Score considers temporal factors like disclosure, exploit and countermeasures. The unique Meta Score calculates the average score of different sources to provide a normalized scoring system.
Current Exploit Price (≈)
Our analysts are monitoring exploit markets and are in contact with vulnerability brokers. The range indicates the observed or calculated exploit price to be seen on exploit markets. A good indicator to understand the monetary effort required for and the popularity of an attack.
CTI Interest Score
Our Cyber Threat Intelligence team is monitoring different web sites, mailing lists, exploit markets and social media networks. The CTI Interest Score identifies the interest of attackers and the security community for this specific vulnerability in real-time. A high score indicates an elevated risk to be targeted for this vulnerability.
4.1$0-$5k3.17-

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as problematic, has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.18.38/7.1.3/7.2-rc1. Affected by this issue is the function xfs_dqinode_metadir_create of the component xfs. The manipulation leads to memory leak. This vulnerability is listed as CVE-2026-64356. The attack may be initiated remotely. There is no available exploit.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.18.38/7.1.3/7.2-rc1 and classified as problematic. This issue affects the function xfs_dqinode_metadir_create of the component xfs. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a memory leak vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-401. The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, which slowly consumes remaining memory. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfs: fix memory leak in xfs_dqinode_metadir_create() If xfs_metadir_create() fails in xfs_dqinode_metadir_create(), the current code returns directly, leaking the allocated update and transaction state. If the subsequent commit fails, the caller-owned inode reference is left behind. Fix this memory leak by routing the create failure path through xfs_metadir_cancel(). For both create and commit failures, finish and release any inode returned to the caller, mirroring the unwind pattern in xfs_metadir_mkdir(). The bug was first flagged by an experimental analysis tool we are developing for kernel memory-management bugs while analyzing v6.13-rc1. The tool is still under development and is not yet publicly available. Manual inspection confirms that the bug is still present in v7.1.1. An x86_64 allyesconfig build showed no new warnings. Runtime validation used kprobe fault injection during `mount -o uquota` on a metadir XFS image. Injecting xfs_metadir_create() reproduced the old active-update path that left mount stuck later in mount setup; after this change, the same injection reported cancel_hits=1 and irele_hits=1. Injecting xfs_metadir_commit() exercised the old inode-reference leak path; after this change, it reported irele_hits=1.

The advisory is shared at git.kernel.org. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2026-64356 since 07/19/2026. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be initiated remotely. Additional levels of successful authentication are necessary for exploitation. It demands that the victim is doing some kind of user interaction. Technical details are known, but no exploit is available. MITRE ATT&CK project uses the attack technique T1499 for this issue.

Upgrading to version 6.18.39, 7.1.4 or 7.2-rc2 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch c3d3d2212c2966973dd7d603c6c6e6ed6fc7fbe1/06a2e6dbaa26c0740ac76dfa66b0aedc78d05820/45de375b25060edf46e20abb36521ba530336ceb is able to eliminate this problem.

Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Type

Vendor

Name

Version

License

Website

CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 4.3
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 4.1

VulDB Base Score: 4.3
VulDB Temp Score: 4.1
VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv2info

AVACAuCIA
💳💳💳💳💳💳
💳💳💳💳💳💳
💳💳💳💳💳💳
VectorComplexityAuthenticationConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability
UnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlock
UnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlock
UnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlock

VulDB Base Score: 🔒
VulDB Temp Score: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Memory leak
CWE: CWE-401 / CWE-404
CAPEC: 🔒
ATT&CK: 🔒

Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Yes

Availability: 🔒
Status: Not defined

EPSS Score: 🔒
EPSS Percentile: 🔒

Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔒

0-DayUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlock
TodayUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlock

Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔒

Upgrade: Kernel 6.18.39/7.1.4/7.2-rc2
Patch: c3d3d2212c2966973dd7d603c6c6e6ed6fc7fbe1/06a2e6dbaa26c0740ac76dfa66b0aedc78d05820/45de375b25060edf46e20abb36521ba530336ceb

Timelineinfo

07/19/2026 CVE reserved
07/25/2026 +6 days Advisory disclosed
07/25/2026 +0 days VulDB entry created
07/25/2026 +0 days VulDB entry last update

Sourcesinfo

Vendor: kernel.org

Advisory: git.kernel.org
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-2026-64356 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2026-64356
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-383153

Entryinfo

Created: 07/25/2026 17:03
Changes: 07/25/2026 17:03 (59)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

Discussion

No comments yet. Languages: en.

Please log in to comment.

◂ PreviousOverviewNext ▸

Might our Artificial Intelligence support you?

Check our Alexa App!