VulnerabilityPublished 15 Aug 2026Updated 6 Nov 2026

CVE-2026-72218: Linux kernel · lockd: Plug nlm_file refcount leak on cached nlm_do_fopen() failure

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · fixed in fe3b45b56b6c3d4b6b341de27fa291005287a21c : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 6 Nov 2026, 17:19 UTC

Severity

Unrated

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

Exploitation: No evidence of active exploitation and no public proof of concept
Automatable: Attackers cannot reliably automate steps 1–4 of the kill chain
Technical impact: Limited control over the software or limited information exposure

CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-11-06.

Patch

Available – fixed in fe3b45b56b6c3d4b6b341de27fa291005287a21c, cb3420c047957e565101585bb4f15e1a6e3de6b0, 84008bf1860e0ef8059a7583a1163f36b704d08a +6

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 15 Aug 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 6 Nov 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected >=5.10.220 <5.10.261	Fixed in fe3b45b56b6c3d4b6b341de27fa291005287a21c cb3420c047957e565101585bb4f15e1a6e3de6b0 84008bf1860e0ef8059a7583a1163f36b704d08a 70a38f87bed7f0694fd07988b47b2db1e10d8df3 46d59ff421824b6483549d87f14efffbbbd1f6cb 7ce4c23e783e766507b2cef27bbf97e9ca944f1a 6cd84cefd8b73e85b9eda17b319bd40a670f3a38 5.10.261 3a5c55a19cad62f2973be25fe96a1a9e7f618e8a
LinuxLinux	Affected =5.15	Fixed in–

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: lockd: Plug nlm_file refcount leak on cached nlm_do_fopen() failure The cached-file path in nlm_lookup_file() reaches the found: label unconditionally, even when nlm_do_fopen() fails. At that label *result and file->f_count are updated before the error is returned. The wrappers nlm3svc_lookup_file() and nlm4svc_lookup_file() then bail out of their switch without copying *result back to their caller, so the proc handler's local nlm_file pointer remains NULL and the cleanup path skips nlm_release_file(). The f_count increment is never released, and nlm_traverse_files() can no longer reap the file because its refcount never returns to zero between requests. Short-circuit the cached path so neither *result nor f_count is touched when nlm_do_fopen() fails on a hashed nlm_file.

References

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