Linux Kernel up to 7.2-rc3 Mtd Partition add_mtd_device double free

| CVSS Meta Temp Score | Current Exploit Price (≈) | CTI Interest Score |
|---|---|---|
| 9.5 | $5k-$25k | 1.76- |
Summary
A vulnerability, which was classified as very critical, was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.147/6.12.100/6.18.41/7.1.5/7.2-rc3. Impacted is the function add_mtd_device of the component Mtd Partition. Such manipulation leads to double free.
This vulnerability is listed as CVE-2026-68416. The attack may be performed from remote. There is no available exploit.
Details
A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.147/6.12.100/6.18.41/7.1.5/7.2-rc3 and classified as very critical. Affected by this issue is the function add_mtd_device of the component Mtd Partition. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a double free vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-415. The product calls free() twice on the same memory address, potentially leading to modification of unexpected memory locations. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. CVE summarizes:
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mtd: fix double free and WARN_ON in add_mtd_device() error paths When device_register() or mtd_nvmem_add() fails inside add_mtd_device() for a partition, the error handling triggers mtd_release() via put_device() or device_unregister(). mtd_release() calls release_mtd_partition() which frees the mtd_info structure. However, callers such as mtd_add_partition() and add_mtd_partitions() also call free_partition() in their error paths, resulting in a double free. Additionally, release_mtd_partition() hits WARN_ON(!list_empty( &mtd->part.node)) because the partition node is still linked in the parent's partitions list when the release callback fires from the add_mtd_device() error path. Fix this by overriding dev->type and dev->release before put_device() in the error paths, so that device_release() invokes a no-op function instead of mtd_release(). For the mtd_nvmem_add() failure case, device_unregister() is replaced with device_del() to separate the device removal from the final kobject reference drop, allowing the override to take effect before put_device() is called. The callers' error paths (list_del + free_partition) remain the sole owners of mtd_info lifetime on add_mtd_device() failure, which is the expected contract. The normal partition teardown path is not affected: del_mtd_device() goes through kref_put() -> mtd_device_release() -> device_unregister() with dev->type still set to &mtd_devtype, so mtd_release() -> release_mtd_partition() continues to work correctly for the regular removal case.
The advisory is shared for download at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is handled as CVE-2026-68416 since 07/30/2026. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be launched remotely. There are known technical details, but no exploit is available. The current price for an exploit might be approx. USD $5k-$25k (estimation calculated on 08/10/2026).
Upgrading to version 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18.42, 7.1.6 or 7.2-rc4 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch ffe21a3545b439e7b11578a701c22a847c149561/e1e96aca1bdf391e2f49531c270ffc134e5b49a5/f98ae09c727dcf34f745c875661c64b642e4abfa/820f983d641937a787e841ee4b93501f69f5683e/9d4af746af8ce27eefc2338b2feaa1e01f28b6c3 is able to eliminate this problem.
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Product
Type
Vendor
Name
Version
- 6.0
- 6.1
- 6.2
- 6.3
- 6.4
- 6.5
- 6.6
- 6.6.147
- 6.7
- 6.8
- 6.9
- 6.10
- 6.11
- 6.12.100
- 6.18.0
- 6.18.1
- 6.18.2
- 6.18.3
- 6.18.4
- 6.18.5
- 6.18.6
- 6.18.7
- 6.18.8
- 6.18.9
- 6.18.10
- 6.18.11
- 6.18.12
- 6.18.13
- 6.18.14
- 6.18.15
- 6.18.16
- 6.18.17
- 6.18.18
- 6.18.19
- 6.18.20
- 6.18.21
- 6.18.22
- 6.18.23
- 6.18.24
- 6.18.25
- 6.18.26
- 6.18.27
- 6.18.28
- 6.18.29
- 6.18.30
- 6.18.31
- 6.18.32
- 6.18.33
- 6.18.34
- 6.18.35
- 6.18.36
- 6.18.37
- 6.18.38
- 6.18.39
- 6.18.40
- 6.18.41
- 7.1.0
- 7.1.1
- 7.1.2
- 7.1.3
- 7.1.4
- 7.1.5
- 7.2-rc1
- 7.2-rc2
- 7.2-rc3
License
Website
- Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/
CPE 2.3
CPE 2.2
CVSSv4
VulDB Vector: 🔒VulDB Reliability: 🔍
CVSSv3
VulDB Meta Base Score: 9.9VulDB Meta Temp Score: 9.5
VulDB Base Score: 9.9
VulDB Temp Score: 9.5
VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍
CVSSv2
| AV | AC | Au | C | I | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
| Vector | Complexity | Authentication | Confidentiality | Integrity | Availability |
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| Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
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VulDB Base Score: 🔒
VulDB Temp Score: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍
Exploiting
Class: Double freeCWE: CWE-415 / CWE-119
CAPEC: 🔒
ATT&CK: 🔒
Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Yes
Availability: 🔒
Status: Not defined
Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔒
| 0-Day | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
Threat Intelligence
Interest: 🔍Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍
Countermeasures
Recommended: UpgradeStatus: 🔍
0-Day Time: 🔒
Upgrade: Kernel 6.6.148/6.12.101/6.18.42/7.1.6/7.2-rc4
Patch: ffe21a3545b439e7b11578a701c22a847c149561/e1e96aca1bdf391e2f49531c270ffc134e5b49a5/f98ae09c727dcf34f745c875661c64b642e4abfa/820f983d641937a787e841ee4b93501f69f5683e/9d4af746af8ce27eefc2338b2feaa1e01f28b6c3
Timeline
07/30/2026 CVE reserved08/10/2026 Advisory disclosed
08/10/2026 VulDB entry created
08/10/2026 VulDB entry last update
Sources
Vendor: kernel.orgAdvisory: git.kernel.org
Status: Confirmed
CVE: CVE-2026-68416 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2026-68416
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-387788
Entry
Created: 08/10/2026 18:47Changes: 08/10/2026 18:47 (59)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103
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