---
id: CVE-2026-72218
title: 'lockd: Plug nlm_file refcount leak on cached nlm_do_fopen() failure'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  lockd: Plug nlm_file refcount leak on cached nlm_do_fopen() failure

  The cached-file path in nlm_lookup_file() reaches the found: label
  unconditionally, even when nlm_d…
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= e580323ac0b51ad10ec2e181d1f777479b7983e7 <
    6cd84cefd8b73e85b9eda17b319bd40a670f3a38
  - >-
    Linux >= 7f024fcd5c97dc70bb9121c80407cf3cf9be7159 <
    fe3b45b56b6c3d4b6b341de27fa291005287a21c
  - >-
    Linux >= 7f024fcd5c97dc70bb9121c80407cf3cf9be7159 <
    cb3420c047957e565101585bb4f15e1a6e3de6b0
  - >-
    Linux >= 7f024fcd5c97dc70bb9121c80407cf3cf9be7159 <
    7ce4c23e783e766507b2cef27bbf97e9ca944f1a
  - >-
    Linux >= 7f024fcd5c97dc70bb9121c80407cf3cf9be7159 <
    84008bf1860e0ef8059a7583a1163f36b704d08a
  - >-
    Linux >= 7f024fcd5c97dc70bb9121c80407cf3cf9be7159 <
    46d59ff421824b6483549d87f14efffbbbd1f6cb
  - >-
    Linux >= 7f024fcd5c97dc70bb9121c80407cf3cf9be7159 <
    3a5c55a19cad62f2973be25fe96a1a9e7f618e8a
  - >-
    Linux >= 7f024fcd5c97dc70bb9121c80407cf3cf9be7159 <
    70a38f87bed7f0694fd07988b47b2db1e10d8df3
  - Linux >= 5.10.220 < 5.10.261
  - Linux 5.15
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2026-11-06T16:52:45.774483Z'
published: '2026-08-15'
updated: '2026-11-06'
sourceUpdated: '2026-11-06T16:55:22.326Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72218'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6cd84cefd8b73e85b9eda17b319bd40a670f3a38'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fe3b45b56b6c3d4b6b341de27fa291005287a21c'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cb3420c047957e565101585bb4f15e1a6e3de6b0'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7ce4c23e783e766507b2cef27bbf97e9ca944f1a'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/84008bf1860e0ef8059a7583a1163f36b704d08a'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/46d59ff421824b6483549d87f14efffbbbd1f6cb'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3a5c55a19cad62f2973be25fe96a1a9e7f618e8a'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/70a38f87bed7f0694fd07988b47b2db1e10d8df3'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00216
epssPercentile: 0.12157
ingestedAt: '2026-11-06T18:00:12.590Z'
---

## Overview

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

lockd: Plug nlm_file refcount leak on cached nlm_do_fopen() failure

The cached-file path in nlm_lookup_file() reaches the found: label
unconditionally, even when nlm_do_fopen() fails. At that label
*result and file->f_count are updated before the error is returned.
The wrappers nlm3svc_lookup_file() and nlm4svc_lookup_file() then
bail out of their switch without copying *result back to their
caller, so the proc handler's local nlm_file pointer remains NULL
and the cleanup path skips nlm_release_file(). The f_count
increment is never released, and nlm_traverse_files() can no
longer reap the file because its refcount never returns to zero
between requests.

Short-circuit the cached path so neither *result nor f_count is
touched when nlm_do_fopen() fails on a hashed nlm_file.

## Affected

- `Linux >= e580323ac0b51ad10ec2e181d1f777479b7983e7 < 6cd84cefd8b73e85b9eda17b319bd40a670f3a38`
- `Linux >= 7f024fcd5c97dc70bb9121c80407cf3cf9be7159 < fe3b45b56b6c3d4b6b341de27fa291005287a21c`
- `Linux >= 7f024fcd5c97dc70bb9121c80407cf3cf9be7159 < cb3420c047957e565101585bb4f15e1a6e3de6b0`
- `Linux >= 7f024fcd5c97dc70bb9121c80407cf3cf9be7159 < 7ce4c23e783e766507b2cef27bbf97e9ca944f1a`
- `Linux >= 7f024fcd5c97dc70bb9121c80407cf3cf9be7159 < 84008bf1860e0ef8059a7583a1163f36b704d08a`
- `Linux >= 7f024fcd5c97dc70bb9121c80407cf3cf9be7159 < 46d59ff421824b6483549d87f14efffbbbd1f6cb`
- `Linux >= 7f024fcd5c97dc70bb9121c80407cf3cf9be7159 < 3a5c55a19cad62f2973be25fe96a1a9e7f618e8a`
- `Linux >= 7f024fcd5c97dc70bb9121c80407cf3cf9be7159 < 70a38f87bed7f0694fd07988b47b2db1e10d8df3`
- `Linux >= 5.10.220 < 5.10.261`
- `Linux 5.15`

## Remediation

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