CVE-2026-89605 ecryptfs: release message context on send failure
A memory leak in the Linux kernel ecryptfs module occurs when message sending fails, potentially leading to resource exhaustion and denial of service.
- 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-2026-89605?
CVE-2026-89605 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux, published on 11 Sep 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:
ecryptfs: release message context on send failure
ecryptfs_send_message_locked() moves a message context from the free list to the allocated list before sending the request to the userspace daemon.
If ecryptfs_send_miscdev() fails, the context is left on the allocated list and cannot be reused. Move it back to the free list on failure and clear the caller's pointer.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-89605?
How do I fix CVE-2026-89605?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.
Is CVE-2026-89605 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-89605 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-100866, BELL-CVE-2026-89605, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-89605, GHSA-3wv2-w328-38h2, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-89605.