High severity · published Sep 11, 2026
CVE-2026-89707
nfsd: release path refs on follow_down() error
7.5
CVSS
0.6%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
nfsd: release path refs on follow_down() error
nfsd_cross_mnt() initializes a local struct path with mntget() and
dget() before calling follow_down(). On a negative return the error
arm jumps to out without releasing those references:
err = follow_down(&path, follow_flags);
if (err < 0)
goto out;
follow_down() never drops the caller's entry-time refs on any error
sub-case; for example a pre-cross d_manage() failure leaves path
untouched, so the mntget()/dget() taken on entry survive the call.
Every other early-exit arm in nfsd_cross_mnt() (other-namespace
return, IS_ERR(exp2), and the success tail after the swap) already
calls path_put(&path); the err < 0 arm is the lone omission. The
leak inflates mnt_count and d_count on each failed cross-mount,
blocking umount and pinning dentries against the shrinker, and is
reachable by any authenticated NFS client through nfsd_lookup_dentry
or the NFSv4 READDIR encode path.
Fix by calling path_put(&path) before the goto out in the err < 0
arm so the entry-time refs are released on all follow_down() error
returns.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.6% · higher than 49% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
LI
Linux · Linux
cc53ce53c86924bfe98a12ea20b7465038a08792 before 085cfde7c2186acaad103f02d2c25435ad5224e9; cc53ce53c86924bfe98a12ea20b7465038a08792 before 194316df81263519156ebe714c4a286bee00e5be; cc53ce53c86924bfe98a12ea20b7465038a08792 before 467d56fd3ff57447a790c6dc3ede2d02a947d224; cc53ce53c86924bfe98a12ea20b7465038a08792 before 2bc4343308d85ee4e0dd3877b384306c96f114c2; cc53ce53c86924bfe98a12ea20b7465038a08792 before 6cba08dc1922140d260cfeb30bbda4ee1bf869d8; 2.6.38 · source: vendor
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-89707
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-89707
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/085cfde7c2186acaad103f02d2c25435ad5224e9
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/194316df81263519156ebe714c4a286bee00e5be
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2bc4343308d85ee4e0dd3877b384306c96f114c2
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/467d56fd3ff57447a790c6dc3ede2d02a947d224
git.kernel.org
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6cba08dc1922140d260cfeb30bbda4ee1bf869d8
More from Linux
9.8
CVE-2025-39682
tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list
8.8
CVE-2026-53266
netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable
7.8
CVE-2026-53362
ipv6: account for fraggap on the paged allocation path
7.8
CVE-2026-46300
net: skbuff: preserve shared-frag marker during coalescing
7.8
CVE-2026-31431
crypto: algif_aead - Revert to operating out-of-place
