# CVE-2026-72082: scsi: elx: efct: Fix refcount leak in efct_hw_io_abort()

> A reference leak in the Linux kernel's efct driver can cause permanent resource exhaustion and block I/O recovery, leading to denial of service.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 15 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 17 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-72082, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72082, GHSA-mfvg-9fxc-6x5q, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-72082

## What is CVE-2026-72082?

CVE-2026-72082 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 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:

scsi: elx: efct: Fix refcount leak in efct_hw_io_abort()

When efct_hw_reqtag_alloc() fails in efct_hw_io_abort(), the error path
returns -ENOSPC without releasing the reference obtained via
kref_get_unless_zero() earlier in the function. All other error paths
correctly drop the reference. This causes a permanent reference leak on the
io_to_abort object.

Additionally, the abort_in_progress flag is left set to true on this path,
which means future abort attempts for the same I/O will immediately return
-EINPROGRESS even though the abort was never submitted, effectively
blocking recovery.

Fix this by adding the missing kref_put() call and reset abort_in_progress
to false, matching the cleanup done in the efct_hw_wq_write() failure path
below.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-72082?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-72082?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-72082 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72082 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-72082 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-72082 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 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-2026-72082 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-2026-72082/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72082/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72082
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72082
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-72082

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72082/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.