# CVE-2026-46318: Revert "mm/hugetlbfs: update hugetlbfs to use mmap_prepare"

> A memory leak in the Linux kernel hugetlbfs subsystem can lead to resource exhaustion and denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 9 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 14 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-46318, GHSA-rq5m-62rx-j536, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-46318

## What is CVE-2026-46318?

CVE-2026-46318 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 9 Jun 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:

Revert "mm/hugetlbfs: update hugetlbfs to use mmap_prepare"

This reverts commit ea52cb24cd3f ("mm/hugetlbfs: update hugetlbfs to use
mmap_prepare") with conflict resolution to account for changes in commit
ea52cb24cd3f ("mm/hugetlbfs: update hugetlbfs to use mmap_prepare").

The patch incorrectly handled hugetlb VMA lock allocation at the
mmap_prepare stage, where a failed allocation occurring after mmap_prepare
is called might result in the lock leaking.

There is no risk of a merge causing a similar issues, as
VMA_DONTEXPAND_BIT is set for hugetlb mappings.

As a first step in addressing this issue, simply revert the change so we
can rework how we do this having corrected the underlying issues.

We maintain the VMA flags changes as best we can, accounting for the fact
that we were working with a VMA descriptor previously and propagating
like-for-like changes for this.

Note that we invoke vma_set_flags() and do not call vma_start_write() as
vm_flags_set() does.  This is OK as it's being done in an .mmap hook where
the VMA is not yet linked into the tree so nobody else can be accessing
it.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-46318?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-46318?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-46318 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-46318 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-46318 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-46318 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 9 Jun 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-46318 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. 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-2026-46318/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46318/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-46318
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46318
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-46318

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46318/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.