CVE-2026-23421 drm/xe/configfs: Free ctx_restore_mid_bb in release
A memory leak in the Linux kernel's xe driver configfs release path can lead to resource exhaustion and denial of service.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-23421?
CVE-2026-23421 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 3 Apr 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
drm/xe/configfs: Free ctx_restore_mid_bb in release
ctx_restore_mid_bb memory is allocated in wa_bb_store(), but xe_config_device_release() only frees ctx_restore_post_bb.
Free ctx_restore_mid_bb[0].cs as well to avoid leaking the allocation when the configfs device is removed.
(cherry picked from commit a235e7d0098337c3f2d1e8f3610c719a589e115f)
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-23421?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2026-23421?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.
Is CVE-2026-23421 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-23421 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-23421, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-23421, GHSA-5rf8-f7c5-4xmw, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-23421.