# CVE-2026-74372: raid1: fix nr_pending leak in REQ_ATOMIC bad-block error path

> A reference leak in the Linux kernel RAID1 driver prevents disk removal, leading to a denial of service condition for local attackers.

- **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-2026-74372, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-74372, GHSA-g6g3-325w-fc52, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74372

## What is CVE-2026-74372?

CVE-2026-74372 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:

raid1: fix nr_pending leak in REQ_ATOMIC bad-block error path

In raid1_write_request(), each per-mirror loop iteration begins by
incrementing rdev->nr_pending. If a REQ_ATOMIC write encounters a
badblock within the requested range, the code jumps to err_handle
without dropping the reference taken for the current mirror.

err_handle's cleanup loop will only decrements for k < i and
r1_bio->bios[k] is non-NULL. The current slot is therefore skipped,
leaving its nr_pending reference leaked permanently. The reference
prevents the rdev from ever being removed, since raid1_remove_conf()
refuses to remove an rdev with nr_pending > 0.

Fix this by calling rdev_dec_pending() before jumping to err_handle.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74372?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-74372?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-74372 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74372 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-74372 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-74372 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-2026-74372 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-2026-74372/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74372/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-74372
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-74372
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-74372

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74372/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.