CVE-2024-26840: cachefiles: fix memory leak in cachefiles_add_cache()
Vulnerability summary
CVE-2024-26840 is a medium (CVSS 5.5) vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.28% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 20.4% of scored vulnerabilities.
Not severe (CVSS 5.5, local access); no exploitation reported by the 5 checked sources
Source freshness unavailable
How is this decided?Advisory lineage
Upstream 0 · Downstream 34 · Related 27Timeline
- 17-04-2024PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
- 11-05-2026Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cachefiles: fix memory leak in cachefiles_add_cache() The following memory leak was reported after unbinding /dev/cachefiles: ================================================================== unreferenced object 0xffff9b674176e3c0 (size 192): comm "cachefilesd2", pid 680, jiffies 4294881224 hex dump (first 32 bytes): 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ backtrace (crc ea38a44b): [<ffffffff8eb8a1a5>] kmem_cache_alloc+0x2d5/0x370 [<ffffffff8e917f86>] prepare_creds+0x26/0x2e0 [<ffffffffc002eeef>] cachefiles_determine_cache_security+0x1f/0x120 [<ffffffffc00243ec>] cachefiles_add_cache+0x13c/0x3a0 [<ffffffffc0025216>] cachefiles_daemon_write+0x146/0x1c0 [<ffffffff8ebc4a3b>] vfs_write+0xcb/0x520 [<ffffffff8ebc5069>] ksys_write+0x69/0xf0 [<ffffffff8f6d4662>] do_syscall_64+0x72/0x140 [<ffffffff8f8000aa>] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x6e/0x76 ================================================================== Put the reference count of cache_cred in cachefiles_daemon_unbind() to fix the problem. And also put cache_cred in cachefiles_add_cache() error branch to avoid memory leaks.
CVSS metrics
3 scores · 3 sources · 1 version- OSV · UbuntuEcosystem advisory · calculated5.5MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- OSV · DebianEcosystem advisory · calculated5.5MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS trend
Probability
0.28%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Percentile
20%
Versus all other CVEs
30-day change
No change 0.00 pp
From 0.28% on 04-10-2026
Known exploited
Compare KEV catalogs
CISA KEVNot in the CISA KEV catalog.
ENISA CNWNot in the ENISA CNW catalog.
CIRCLNot in the CIRCL catalog.
Public exploits
0 foundNo public exploits indexed.
Weaknesses
CWE · root causeAffected systems
Known conditions: local access, low-privilege account, no user interaction (CVSS vector). Other conditions: not stated in public data.
Ubuntu116 products
- linuxAll versions (No fix recorded) | < 4.4.0-257.291 | < 4.15.0-227.239 | < 5.4.0-186.206 | < 5.15.0-112.122
- linux-allwinner-5.19All versions (No fix recorded)
- linux-aws< 4.4.0-1134.140 | < 4.4.0-1172.187 | < 4.15.0-1170.183 | < 5.4.0-1126.136 | < 5.15.0-1063.69
- linux-aws-5.0All versions (No fix recorded)
- linux-aws-5.11All versions (No fix recorded)
Linux2 products
- linux≥ 9ae326a69004dea8af2dae4fde58de27db700a8d, < cb5466783793e66272624cf71925ae1d1ba32083 | ≥ 9ae326a69004dea8af2dae4fde58de27db700a8d, < 037d5a949b0455540ef9aab34c10ddf54b65d285 | ≥ 9ae326a69004dea8af2dae4fde58de27db700a8d, < 43eccc5823732ba6daab2511ed32dfc545a666d8 | ≥ 9ae326a69004dea8af2dae4fde58de27db700a8d, < 94965be37add0983672e48ecb33cdbda92b62579 | ≥ 9ae326a69004dea8af2dae4fde58de27db700a8d, < 8b218e2f0a27a9f09428b1847b4580640b9d1e58 | ≥ 9ae326a69004dea8af2dae4fde58de27db700a8d, < 38e921616320d159336b0ffadb09e9fb4945c7c3 | ≥ 9ae326a69004dea8af2dae4fde58de27db700a8d, < 9cac69912052a4def571fedf1cb9bb4ec590e25a | ≥ 9ae326a69004dea8af2dae4fde58de27db700a8d, < e21a2f17566cbd64926fb8f16323972f7a064444 | 2.6.30
- linux_kernel≥ 2.6.30, < 4.19.309 | ≥ 4.20, < 5.4.271 | ≥ 5.5, < 5.10.212 | ≥ 5.11, < 5.15.151 | ≥ 5.16, < 6.1.80 | ≥ 6.2, < 6.6.19 | ≥ 6.7, < 6.7.7 | 6.8:rc1 | 6.8:rc2 | 6.8:rc3 | 6.8:rc4 | 6.8:rc5
Debian1 product
- linux< 6.1.82-1 | < 6.7.7-1
3 vendors · 119 products
