---
id: CVE-2026-74359
title: 'configfs_lookup(): don''t leave ->s_dentry dangling on failure'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  configfs_lookup(): don't leave ->s_dentry dangling on failure

  Normally ->s_dentry is cleared when dentry it's pointing to becomes
  negative (on eviction, realistically)…
severity: high
cvss: 7.8
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cvssSource: cna
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d <
    3e83b2203aa59bd279e4f677ec793d49dc9d019e
  - >-
    Linux >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d <
    b6e9c82522ddaa3ac0706b295ff4a71975d4f883
  - >-
    Linux >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d <
    eee07d769da5ac4e4f7bd0bc17828646a318d499
  - >-
    Linux >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d <
    9c747dcee164ead300de90550ad9e4122f0d1bbb
  - >-
    Linux >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d <
    c3b073a209a9baa691b744318ac929fecdd8847c
  - >-
    Linux >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d <
    57088b06109f3222963c639d8d743f42c2899b13
  - >-
    Linux >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d <
    10da12d352b7b2bb330a8609fdda9a58bf0e9856
  - Linux 2.6.16
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: total
  timestamp: '2026-10-16T18:54:26.470078Z'
published: '2026-08-15'
updated: '2026-10-16'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-16T18:55:35.328Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-74359'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3e83b2203aa59bd279e4f677ec793d49dc9d019e'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b6e9c82522ddaa3ac0706b295ff4a71975d4f883'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/eee07d769da5ac4e4f7bd0bc17828646a318d499'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9c747dcee164ead300de90550ad9e4122f0d1bbb'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c3b073a209a9baa691b744318ac929fecdd8847c'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/57088b06109f3222963c639d8d743f42c2899b13'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/10da12d352b7b2bb330a8609fdda9a58bf0e9856'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00171
epssPercentile: 0.06039
ingestedAt: '2026-10-16T19:46:24.374Z'
---

## Overview

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

configfs_lookup(): don't leave ->s_dentry dangling on failure

Normally ->s_dentry is cleared when dentry it's pointing to becomes
negative (on eviction, realistically).  However, that only happens
if dentry gets to be positive in the first place; in case of inode
allocation failure dentry never becomes positive, so ->d_iput()
is not called at all.

We do part of what normally would've been done by configfs_d_iput()
(dropping the reference to configfs_dirent) manually, but we do
not clear ->s_dentry there.  Sloppy as it is, it does not matter in
case of configfs_create_{dir,link}() - there configfs_dirent does
not survive dropping the sole reference to it.

However, for configfs_lookup() it *does* survive, with a dangling
pointer to soon to be freed dentry sitting it its ->s_dentry.

Subsequent getdents(2) in that directory will end up dereferencing
that pointer in order to pick the inode number.  Use after free...

This is the minimal fix; the right approach is to set the linkage
between dentry and configfs_dirent only after we know that we have
an inode, but that takes more surgery and the bug had been there
since 2006, so...

## Affected

- `Linux >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d < 3e83b2203aa59bd279e4f677ec793d49dc9d019e`
- `Linux >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d < b6e9c82522ddaa3ac0706b295ff4a71975d4f883`
- `Linux >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d < eee07d769da5ac4e4f7bd0bc17828646a318d499`
- `Linux >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d < 9c747dcee164ead300de90550ad9e4122f0d1bbb`
- `Linux >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d < c3b073a209a9baa691b744318ac929fecdd8847c`
- `Linux >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d < 57088b06109f3222963c639d8d743f42c2899b13`
- `Linux >= 3d0f89bb169482d26d5aa4e82e763077e7e9bc4d < 10da12d352b7b2bb330a8609fdda9a58bf0e9856`
- `Linux 2.6.16`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.