# CVE-2026-23038: pnfs/flexfiles: Fix memory leak in nfs4_ff_alloc_deviceid_node()

> A memory leak in the Linux kernel's NFS flexfiles driver allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service by exhausting system memory.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 31 Jan 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-77154, BELL-CVE-2026-23038, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-23038, GHSA-96c4-w7rm-2mx2, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-23038, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-23038, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2026-23038, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-23038, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-23038, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-23038

## What is CVE-2026-23038?

CVE-2026-23038 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 31 Jan 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

pnfs/flexfiles: Fix memory leak in nfs4_ff_alloc_deviceid_node()

In nfs4_ff_alloc_deviceid_node(), if the allocation for ds_versions fails,
the function jumps to the out_scratch label without freeing the already
allocated dsaddrs list, leading to a memory leak.

Fix this by jumping to the out_err_drain_dsaddrs label, which properly
frees the dsaddrs list before cleaning up other resources.

Weakness: CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-23038?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-23038?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-23038 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-23038 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-23038 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-23038 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 31 Jan 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-23038 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-23038/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-23038/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-23038
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-23038
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-23038

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-23038/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.