CVE-2026-23145

Local service interruption via ext4 buffer leak

Published Feb 14, 2026 · Updated Feb 14, 2026

Resource leak in ext4 in affected Linux Kernel releases allows local users to exhaust memory by triggering xattr update errors. The ext4_xattr_inode_update_ref error branch returns after detecting an EA inode reference-count wraparound without calling brelse on iloc.bh, retaining the buffer-head reference. Reaching the flaw requires local access to an ext4 filesystem and the exceptional xattr refcount path; repeated failures consume kernel memory and can interrupt service.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.13%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Resource leak in ext4 in affected Linux Kernel releases allows local users to exhaust memory by triggering xattr update errors. The ext4_xattr_inode_update_ref error branch returns after detecting an EA inode reference-count wraparound without calling brelse on iloc.bh, retaining the buffer-head reference. Reaching the flaw requires local access to an ext4 filesystem and the exceptional xattr refcount path; repeated failures consume kernel memory and can interrupt service.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-23145
Published
Feb 14, 2026
Updated
Feb 14, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
CWE-401, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 14, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 14, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=1cfb3e4ddbdc8e02e637b8852540bd4718bf4814 <7c9f059c3d531a12d7ad96cd34a44b8af7c00d5f
  2. Affected versionversion=3d6269028246f4484bfed403c947a114bb583631 <3b00c16e42428a1ecd3a5eb9cc37f8ad9bd47626
  3. Affected versionversion=440b003f449a4ff2a00b08c8eab9ba5cd28f3943
  4. Affected versionversion=505e69f76ac497e788f4ea0267826ec7266b40c8 <6241cd1d0acc2363016ac55b8773ba1332dd59d7
  5. Affected versionversion=57295e835408d8d425bef58da5253465db3d6888 <06e26287f2e349a28ad363941ffd9076bfed8b2e
  6. Affected versionversion=57295e835408d8d425bef58da5253465db3d6888 <d250bdf531d9cd4096fedbb9f172bb2ca660c868
  7. Affected versionversion=6.18
  8. Affected versionversion=6b879c4c6bbaab03c0ad2a983953bd1410bb165e <8e8542c539927ae3898a4d02941f84e252e2dea1
  9. Affected versionversion=79ea7f3e11effe1bd9e753172981d9029133a278 <0b06cde92f2f960f4ebe3c988c69f2711f2a24dc
  10. Affected versionversion=ea39e712c2f5ae148ee5515798ae03523673e002

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=1cfb3e4ddbdc8e02e637b8852540bd4718bf4814 <7c9f059c3d531a12d7ad96cd34a44b8af7c00d5f; version=3d6269028246f4484bfed403c947a114bb583631 <3b00c16e42428a1ecd3a5eb9cc37f8ad9bd47626; version=440b003f449a4ff2a00b08c8eab9ba5cd28f3943; version=505e69f76ac497e788f4ea0267826ec7266b40c8 <6241cd1d0acc2363016ac55b8773ba1332dd59d7; version=57295e835408d8d425bef58da5253465db3d6888 <06e26287f2e349a28ad363941ffd9076bfed8b2e; version=57295e835408d8d425bef58da5253465db3d6888 <d250bdf531d9cd4096fedbb9f172bb2ca660c868; version=6.18; version=6b879c4c6bbaab03c0ad2a983953bd1410bb165e <8e8542c539927ae3898a4d02941f84e252e2dea1; version=79ea7f3e11effe1bd9e753172981d9029133a278 <0b06cde92f2f960f4ebe3c988c69f2711f2a24dc; version=ea39e712c2f5ae148ee5515798ae03523673e002

Published CVSS scores

5.5NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-401Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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