# CVE-2026-89715: NFS/localio: fix ref leak on nfs_uuid_add_file failure

> A reference leak in the Linux kernel NFS local I/O path allows attackers to exhaust resources and block network namespace teardown, causing denial of service.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 11 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-89715, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-89715, GHSA-r3wc-v3p2-877p, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-89715

## What is CVE-2026-89715?

CVE-2026-89715 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 11 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

NFS/localio: fix ref leak on nfs_uuid_add_file failure

When nfs_uuid_add_file() races with nfs_uuid_put() tearing down
uuid->net, it returns -ENXIO without publishing nfl->nfs_uuid via
rcu_assign_pointer().  nfs_open_local_fh() then enters its error
branch and only releases the slot's file ref and its paired net
ref plus its own entry-time net ref, while the close path is a
no-op:

    nfs_close_local_fh()
      nfs_uuid = rcu_dereference(nfl->nfs_uuid);
      if (!nfs_uuid) { rcu_read_unlock(); return; }  /* always */

nfsd_open_local_fh() returns localio holding a caller-owned +1
nfsd_file reference (from nfsd_file_get() after
nfsd_file_acquire_local()) and an entry-time nfsd_net reference
(from its first nfsd_net_try_get()) embedded as nf->nf_net.  Both
are leaked on the failure path, pinning one nfsd_file (and the
underlying struct file, dentry, inode) and one nfsd_net_ref per
occurrence, which blocks nfsd_net and netns teardown.

Fix by releasing the caller-owned file ref and its net ref through
the existing helper, using a stack-local RCU pointer so the helper
can xchg it out, then returning -ENXIO so callers do not
dereference a localio whose slot has been cleared:

    struct nfsd_file __rcu *tmp = RCU_INITIALIZER(localio);

    nfs_to_nfsd_file_put_local(pnf);
    nfs_to_nfsd_file_put_local(&tmp);
    localio = ERR_PTR(-ENXIO);

The trailing nfs_to_nfsd_net_put(net) continues to release the
outer net ref, so all three nfsd_net_try_get() increments are
balanced on the error branch.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-89715?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-89715?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-89715 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-89715 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-89715 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-89715 is a denial of service vulnerability in Linux, published on 11 Sep 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-89715 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-2026-89715/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-89715/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-89715
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-89715
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-89715

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-89715/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.