# CVE-2026-72308: mlxsw: fix refcount leak in mlxsw_sp_port_lag_join()

> A refcount leak in the mlxsw network driver allows local attackers to cause a denial of service by exhausting kernel resources.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **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:** 15 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 23 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-72308, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72308, GHSA-62qp-mh75-mrwp, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-72308

## What is CVE-2026-72308?

CVE-2026-72308 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:

mlxsw: fix refcount leak in mlxsw_sp_port_lag_join()

When mlxsw_sp_port_lag_index_get() fails, mlxsw_sp_port_lag_join()
returns an error without releasing the lag reference obtained by
the earlier mlxsw_sp_lag_get().  All other error paths in the
function jump to the cleanup label that ends with
mlxsw_sp_lag_put(), so this is a single missed release.

Fix the leak by replacing the bare 'return err' with a goto to the
existing error cleanup label, which will drop the reference safely.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-72308?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-72308?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-72308 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72308 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-72308 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-72308 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-2026-72308 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-2026-72308/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72308/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72308
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72308
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-72308

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72308/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.