In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/virtio: fix object leak when drm_gem_handle_create() fails… (CVE-2026-98609)

The vulnerability involves improper reference counting in the drm/virtio GPU driver within the Linux kernel. Specifically, when drm_gem_handle_create() fails, the error path calls drm_gem_object_release() instead of drm_gem_object_put(). Since drm_gem_object_release() does not decrement the reference count or free the object, the buffer object remains at a reference count of 1 with no remaining references, preventing virtio_gpu_free_object() from running. This results in leaking memory resources such as shmem pages, scatter-gather tables, and the virtio_gpu_object itself. Additionally, the host-side resource and resource ID are leaked because VIRTIO_GPU_CMD_RESOURCE_UNREF is not queued. The fix involves using drm_gem_object_put() on the error path to properly decrement the reference count and free resources.

The vulnerability causes a resource leak in the Linux kernel's virtio GPU driver, leading to unreleased memory and host-side resources. While this does not directly enable code execution or privilege escalation, the leak could degrade system stability or performance over time due to resource exhaustion.

A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel to correct the reference counting error by using drm_gem_object_put() on the error path of drm_gem_handle_create(). Users should update to the patched Linux kernel version containing this fix. No additional mitigation steps are indicated.