CVE-2026-72364 netfs: Fix writeback error handling
A flaw in Linux kernel netfs writeback error handling can lead to denial of service due to improper state cleanup and folio locking.
- 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-2026-72364?
CVE-2026-72364 is a high-severity 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:
netfs: Fix writeback error handling
Fix the error handling in writeback_iter() loop. If an error occurs, writeback_iter() needs to be called again with *error set to the error so that it can clean up iteration state. Further, the current folio needs unlocking and redirtying.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-72364?
How do I fix CVE-2026-72364?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.
Is CVE-2026-72364 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72364 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-72364, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72364, GHSA-98p8-g3h5-vfv6, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-72364.