CVE-2026-23297
nfsd: Fix cred ref leak in nfsd_nl_threads_set_doit().
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfsd: Fix cred ref leak in nfsd_nl_threads_set_doit(). syzbot reported memory leak of struct cred. [0] nfsd_nl_threads_set_doit() passes get_current_cred() to nfsd_svc(), but put_cred() is not called after that. The cred is finally passed down to _svc_xprt_create(), which calls get_cred() with the cred for struct svc_xprt. The ownership of the refcount by get_current_cred() is not transferred to anywhere and is just leaked. nfsd_svc() is also called from write_threads(), but it does not bump file->f_cred there. nfsd_nl_threads_set_doit() is called from sendmsg() and current->cred does not go away. Let's use current_cred() in nfsd_nl_threads_set_doit(). [0]: BUG: memory leak unreferenced object 0xffff888108b89480 (size 184): comm "syz-executor", pid 5994, jiffies 4294943386 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 369454a7): kmemleak_alloc_recursive include/linux/kmemleak.h:44 [inline] slab_post_alloc_hook mm/slub.c:4958 [inline] slab_alloc_node mm/slub.c:5263 [inline] kmem_cache_alloc_noprof+0x412/0x580 mm/slub.c:5270 prepare_creds+0x22/0x600 kernel/cred.c:185 copy_creds+0x44/0x290 kernel/cred.c:286 copy_process+0x7a7/0x2870 kernel/fork.c:2086 kernel_clone+0xac/0x6e0 kernel/fork.c:2651 __do_sys_clone+0x7f/0xb0 kernel/fork.c:2792 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 [inline] do_syscall_64+0xa4/0xf80 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f
INFO
Published Date :
March 25, 2026, 11:16 a.m.
Last Modified :
March 25, 2026, 11:16 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-23297
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
No affected product recoded yet
Solution
- Apply the provided patch to the Linux kernel.
- Ensure proper credential reference counting.
- Review kernel code for similar leaks.
- Update the Linux kernel to a patched version.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-23297.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-23297 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-23297
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-23297 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-23297 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
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New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Mar. 25, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfsd: Fix cred ref leak in nfsd_nl_threads_set_doit(). syzbot reported memory leak of struct cred. [0] nfsd_nl_threads_set_doit() passes get_current_cred() to nfsd_svc(), but put_cred() is not called after that. The cred is finally passed down to _svc_xprt_create(), which calls get_cred() with the cred for struct svc_xprt. The ownership of the refcount by get_current_cred() is not transferred to anywhere and is just leaked. nfsd_svc() is also called from write_threads(), but it does not bump file->f_cred there. nfsd_nl_threads_set_doit() is called from sendmsg() and current->cred does not go away. Let's use current_cred() in nfsd_nl_threads_set_doit(). [0]: BUG: memory leak unreferenced object 0xffff888108b89480 (size 184): comm "syz-executor", pid 5994, jiffies 4294943386 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 369454a7): kmemleak_alloc_recursive include/linux/kmemleak.h:44 [inline] slab_post_alloc_hook mm/slub.c:4958 [inline] slab_alloc_node mm/slub.c:5263 [inline] kmem_cache_alloc_noprof+0x412/0x580 mm/slub.c:5270 prepare_creds+0x22/0x600 kernel/cred.c:185 copy_creds+0x44/0x290 kernel/cred.c:286 copy_process+0x7a7/0x2870 kernel/fork.c:2086 kernel_clone+0xac/0x6e0 kernel/fork.c:2651 __do_sys_clone+0x7f/0xb0 kernel/fork.c:2792 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 [inline] do_syscall_64+0xa4/0xf80 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1cb968a2013ffa8112d52ebe605009ea1c6a582c Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/27c13c5bb0948e3b5c64e59f8a903231896fab9b Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/41170716421c25cd20b39e83f0e0762e212b377b Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a3f88e3e18b51a7f654189189c762ebcdeaa7e29