---
id: CVE-2026-45964
title: 'SUNRPC: fix gss_auth kref leak in gss_alloc_msg error path'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  SUNRPC: fix gss_auth kref leak in gss_alloc_msg error path

  Commit 5940d1cf9f42 ("SUNRPC: Rebalance a kref in auth_gss.c") added
  a kref_get(&gss_auth->kref) call to bal…
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 5940d1cf9f42f67e9cc3f7df9eda39f5888d6e9e <
    3b2b6c42070ce4204936288253baf101e995c2d3
  - >-
    Linux >= 5940d1cf9f42f67e9cc3f7df9eda39f5888d6e9e <
    b559be2ec6cdb2e9c2c36c23fbbd4690d8a5c3f7
  - >-
    Linux >= 5940d1cf9f42f67e9cc3f7df9eda39f5888d6e9e <
    a1bc9561b617ec7e2d09e6c134d1db8fcf9ca4a6
  - >-
    Linux >= 5940d1cf9f42f67e9cc3f7df9eda39f5888d6e9e <
    655c9ba9915f05266998dbbf4b76b3c79b8a70aa
  - >-
    Linux >= 5940d1cf9f42f67e9cc3f7df9eda39f5888d6e9e <
    e464e26b2457005c87e158570498274b9f3b90c7
  - >-
    Linux >= 5940d1cf9f42f67e9cc3f7df9eda39f5888d6e9e <
    c20f925214249bb4fc04f7e197bea142a6438af6
  - >-
    Linux >= 5940d1cf9f42f67e9cc3f7df9eda39f5888d6e9e <
    a2d4e9a76de0b2178001214ba5de5bf94a7354aa
  - >-
    Linux >= 5940d1cf9f42f67e9cc3f7df9eda39f5888d6e9e <
    dd2fdc3504592d85e549c523b054898a036a6afe
  - Linux 5.2
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2026-11-06T16:03:16.740748Z'
published: '2026-05-27'
updated: '2026-11-06'
sourceUpdated: '2026-11-06T16:13:28.736Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-45964'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b2b6c42070ce4204936288253baf101e995c2d3'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b559be2ec6cdb2e9c2c36c23fbbd4690d8a5c3f7'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a1bc9561b617ec7e2d09e6c134d1db8fcf9ca4a6'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/655c9ba9915f05266998dbbf4b76b3c79b8a70aa'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e464e26b2457005c87e158570498274b9f3b90c7'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c20f925214249bb4fc04f7e197bea142a6438af6'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a2d4e9a76de0b2178001214ba5de5bf94a7354aa'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/dd2fdc3504592d85e549c523b054898a036a6afe'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.0016
epssPercentile: 0.05197
ingestedAt: '2026-11-06T16:57:43.360Z'
---

## Overview

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

SUNRPC: fix gss_auth kref leak in gss_alloc_msg error path

Commit 5940d1cf9f42 ("SUNRPC: Rebalance a kref in auth_gss.c") added
a kref_get(&gss_auth->kref) call to balance the gss_put_auth() done
in gss_release_msg(), but forgot to add a corresponding kref_put()
on the error path when kstrdup_const() fails.

If service_name is non-NULL and kstrdup_const() fails, the function
jumps to err_put_pipe_version which calls put_pipe_version() and
kfree(gss_msg), but never releases the gss_auth reference. This leads
to a kref leak where the gss_auth structure is never freed.

Add a forward declaration for gss_free_callback() and call kref_put()
in the err_put_pipe_version error path to properly release the
reference taken earlier.

## Affected

- `Linux >= 5940d1cf9f42f67e9cc3f7df9eda39f5888d6e9e < 3b2b6c42070ce4204936288253baf101e995c2d3`
- `Linux >= 5940d1cf9f42f67e9cc3f7df9eda39f5888d6e9e < b559be2ec6cdb2e9c2c36c23fbbd4690d8a5c3f7`
- `Linux >= 5940d1cf9f42f67e9cc3f7df9eda39f5888d6e9e < a1bc9561b617ec7e2d09e6c134d1db8fcf9ca4a6`
- `Linux >= 5940d1cf9f42f67e9cc3f7df9eda39f5888d6e9e < 655c9ba9915f05266998dbbf4b76b3c79b8a70aa`
- `Linux >= 5940d1cf9f42f67e9cc3f7df9eda39f5888d6e9e < e464e26b2457005c87e158570498274b9f3b90c7`
- `Linux >= 5940d1cf9f42f67e9cc3f7df9eda39f5888d6e9e < c20f925214249bb4fc04f7e197bea142a6438af6`
- `Linux >= 5940d1cf9f42f67e9cc3f7df9eda39f5888d6e9e < a2d4e9a76de0b2178001214ba5de5bf94a7354aa`
- `Linux >= 5940d1cf9f42f67e9cc3f7df9eda39f5888d6e9e < dd2fdc3504592d85e549c523b054898a036a6afe`
- `Linux 5.2`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.