---
id: CVE-2026-68416
title: 'mtd: fix double free and WARN_ON in add_mtd_device() error paths'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  mtd: fix double free and WARN_ON in add_mtd_device() error paths

  When device_register() or mtd_nvmem_add() fails inside
  add_mtd_device() for a partition, the error han…
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 93c08951d7070134b7415ca4abd0d25876aa653b <
    b1f78dc4a6869e30ff64345a5d3e7da1b6da0061
  - >-
    Linux >= 006764e33fe9cff72f8a68ce1dab570d93662c96 <
    1dfe90daee6080b088b65620ff690a56f59ddea2
  - >-
    Linux >= 19bfa9ebebb5ec0695def57eb1d80de7e9cab369 <
    ffe21a3545b439e7b11578a701c22a847c149561
  - >-
    Linux >= 19bfa9ebebb5ec0695def57eb1d80de7e9cab369 <
    e1e96aca1bdf391e2f49531c270ffc134e5b49a5
  - >-
    Linux >= 19bfa9ebebb5ec0695def57eb1d80de7e9cab369 <
    f98ae09c727dcf34f745c875661c64b642e4abfa
  - >-
    Linux >= 19bfa9ebebb5ec0695def57eb1d80de7e9cab369 <
    820f983d641937a787e841ee4b93501f69f5683e
  - >-
    Linux >= 19bfa9ebebb5ec0695def57eb1d80de7e9cab369 <
    9d4af746af8ce27eefc2338b2feaa1e01f28b6c3
  - Linux 6.6
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2026-11-06T16:49:06.259041Z'
published: '2026-08-10'
updated: '2026-11-06'
sourceUpdated: '2026-11-06T16:55:16.107Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-68416'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b1f78dc4a6869e30ff64345a5d3e7da1b6da0061'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1dfe90daee6080b088b65620ff690a56f59ddea2'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ffe21a3545b439e7b11578a701c22a847c149561'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e1e96aca1bdf391e2f49531c270ffc134e5b49a5'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f98ae09c727dcf34f745c875661c64b642e4abfa'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/820f983d641937a787e841ee4b93501f69f5683e'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9d4af746af8ce27eefc2338b2feaa1e01f28b6c3'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00161
epssPercentile: 0.05293
ingestedAt: '2026-11-05T15:02:32.465Z'
---

## Overview

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

mtd: fix double free and WARN_ON in add_mtd_device() error paths

When device_register() or mtd_nvmem_add() fails inside
add_mtd_device() for a partition, the error handling triggers
mtd_release() via put_device() or device_unregister(). mtd_release()
calls release_mtd_partition() which frees the mtd_info structure.
However, callers such as mtd_add_partition() and add_mtd_partitions()
also call free_partition() in their error paths, resulting in a double
free.

Additionally, release_mtd_partition() hits WARN_ON(!list_empty(
&mtd->part.node)) because the partition node is still linked in the
parent's partitions list when the release callback fires from the
add_mtd_device() error path.

Fix this by overriding dev->type and dev->release before put_device()
in the error paths, so that device_release() invokes a no-op function
instead of mtd_release(). For the mtd_nvmem_add() failure case,
device_unregister() is replaced with device_del() to separate the
device removal from the final kobject reference drop, allowing the
override to take effect before put_device() is called.

The callers' error paths (list_del + free_partition) remain the sole
owners of mtd_info lifetime on add_mtd_device() failure, which is the
expected contract.

The normal partition teardown path is not affected: del_mtd_device()
goes through kref_put() -> mtd_device_release() -> device_unregister()
with dev->type still set to &mtd_devtype, so mtd_release() ->
release_mtd_partition() continues to work correctly for the regular
removal case.

## Affected

- `Linux >= 93c08951d7070134b7415ca4abd0d25876aa653b < b1f78dc4a6869e30ff64345a5d3e7da1b6da0061`
- `Linux >= 006764e33fe9cff72f8a68ce1dab570d93662c96 < 1dfe90daee6080b088b65620ff690a56f59ddea2`
- `Linux >= 19bfa9ebebb5ec0695def57eb1d80de7e9cab369 < ffe21a3545b439e7b11578a701c22a847c149561`
- `Linux >= 19bfa9ebebb5ec0695def57eb1d80de7e9cab369 < e1e96aca1bdf391e2f49531c270ffc134e5b49a5`
- `Linux >= 19bfa9ebebb5ec0695def57eb1d80de7e9cab369 < f98ae09c727dcf34f745c875661c64b642e4abfa`
- `Linux >= 19bfa9ebebb5ec0695def57eb1d80de7e9cab369 < 820f983d641937a787e841ee4b93501f69f5683e`
- `Linux >= 19bfa9ebebb5ec0695def57eb1d80de7e9cab369 < 9d4af746af8ce27eefc2338b2feaa1e01f28b6c3`
- `Linux 6.6`

## Remediation

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