In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: autofs: fix sbi->pipe file reference leak in autofs_kill_sb() When… (CVE-2026-98553)

The Linux kernel autofs subsystem had a vulnerability where, under certain failure conditions in autofs_fill_super(), the AUTOFS_SBI_CATATONIC flag remained set in sbi->flags. This caused autofs_catatonic_mode() to return early without releasing the file reference to sbi->pipe, resulting in a permanent leak of the pipe struct file reference. The fix involves explicitly releasing sbi->pipe in autofs_kill_sb() if it is still non-NULL after calling autofs_catatonic_mode().

The vulnerability causes a resource leak (file reference leak) in the Linux kernel autofs subsystem. While this does not directly lead to code execution or privilege escalation, the leak could degrade system stability or performance over time if triggered repeatedly.

A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel to explicitly release the leaked file reference in autofs_kill_sb(). Users should update to the fixed kernel version once it is available. Patch status is not yet confirmed; check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance.