CVE-2026-46100 fs: afs: revert mmap_prepare() change

High 7.8 Published Updated

A refcount leak in the Linux kernel AFS filesystem 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-2026-46100?

CVE-2026-46100 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 May 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:

fs: afs: revert mmap_prepare() change

Partially reverts commit 9d5403b1036c ("fs: convert most other generic_file_*mmap() users to .mmap_prepare()").

This is because the .mmap invocation establishes a refcount, but .mmap_prepare is called at a point where a merge or an allocation failure might happen after the call, which would leak the refcount increment.

Functionality is being added to permit the use of .mmap_prepare in this case, but in the interim, we need to fix this.

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-46100?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2026-46100?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Is CVE-2026-46100 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-46100 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-46100, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-46100, GHSA-fff5-56xf-g7v8, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-46100.

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