# CVE-2026-64356: xfs: fix memory leak in xfs_dqinode_metadir_create()

> A memory leak in the Linux kernel XFS filesystem can cause mount failures and resource exhaustion, requiring a kernel patch.

- **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:** 25 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 17 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-64356, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-64356, GHSA-p28w-6j9h-mmp2, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-64356, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-64356

## What is CVE-2026-64356?

CVE-2026-64356 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Jul 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:

xfs: fix memory leak in xfs_dqinode_metadir_create()

If xfs_metadir_create() fails in xfs_dqinode_metadir_create(), the current
code returns directly, leaking the allocated update and transaction state.
If the subsequent commit fails, the caller-owned inode reference is left
behind.

Fix this memory leak by routing the create failure path through
xfs_metadir_cancel().  For both create and commit failures, finish and
release any inode returned to the caller, mirroring the unwind pattern in
xfs_metadir_mkdir().

The bug was first flagged by an experimental analysis tool we are
developing for kernel memory-management bugs while analyzing
v6.13-rc1. The tool is still under development and is not yet publicly
available. Manual inspection confirms that the bug is still
present in v7.1.1.

An x86_64 allyesconfig build showed no new warnings. Runtime validation
used kprobe fault injection during `mount -o uquota` on a metadir XFS
image. Injecting xfs_metadir_create() reproduced the old active-update path
that left mount stuck later in mount setup; after this change, the same
injection reported cancel_hits=1 and irele_hits=1. Injecting
xfs_metadir_commit() exercised the old inode-reference leak path; after
this change, it reported irele_hits=1.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64356?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-64356?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-64356 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64356 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-2026-64356 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-64356 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Jul 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-2026-64356 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-2026-64356/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64356/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64356
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64356
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-64356

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64356/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.