# CVE-2026-74718: devlink: fix net namespace reference leak in reload

> A missing reference release in the Linux kernel devlink reload path allows local attackers to cause a net namespace reference leak, potentially leading to denial of service.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 22 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 22 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-97322, BELL-CVE-2026-74718, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-74718, GHSA-67hf-fh94-4rj7, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74718

## What is CVE-2026-74718?

CVE-2026-74718 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 22 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:

devlink: fix net namespace reference leak in reload

devlink_nl_reload_doit() calls devlink_netns_get(), which returns a net
with a held reference. When the requested namespace differs from the
current one and the reload action is not DRIVER_REINIT, the function
returns -EOPNOTSUPP without releasing the reference. Add the missing
put_net() on this error path.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74718?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-74718?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-74718 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74718 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-74718 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-74718 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 22 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-2026-74718 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-2026-74718/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74718/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-74718
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-74718
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-74718

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74718/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.