md/raid1: fix writes_pending and barrier reference leaks on write failures (CVE-2026-72440) | HOL Guard CVE

High · CVSS 7.1CVE-2026-72440

md/raid1: fix writes_pending and barrier reference leaks on write failures

Answer in brief

CVE-2026-72440 records a High severity (CVSS 7.1) vulnerability in md/raid1: fix writes_pending and barrier reference leaks on write failures. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Analysis pending evidence review

HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.

Published Aug 15, 2026Updated Aug 17, 2026Source checked Sep 29, 2026First seen by HOL Aug 15, 2026Material review Aug 17, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: High · CVSS 7.1
Exploitation: Not marked as known exploited
Affected software: 2 mapped packages or products
Fix availability: Available

Why this deserves its current priority

CVSS is 7.1. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.

Analysis status

Analysis pending evidence review

Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.

Affected scope and exposure questions

The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
Linux/Linuxgeneric	>=5aa705039c4fca84575539bfa2b8a28454a3d2ca <bffbbfcbd9393e315a7a4286dcd70e875265db9a \|\| >=5aa705039c4fca84575539bfa2b8a28454a3d2ca <8e065a1602511282fc0da2dc89445e0eb71a681c	bffbbfcbd9393e315a7a4286dcd70e875265db9a, 8e065a1602511282fc0da2dc89445e0eb71a681c
Linux/Linuxgeneric	5.17	Not reported

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for Linux/Linux, Linux/Linux.
Review the reported fix. Update Linux/Linux to bffbbfcbd9393e315a7a4286dcd70e875265db9a if you use the affected versions. Test the change in a non-production environment first.

Evidence timeline and material changes

Published upstream
Aug 15, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
Source modified
Aug 17, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
First seen by HOL
Aug 15, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: md/raid1: fix writes_pending and barrier reference leaks on write failures raid1_make_request() acquires a writes_pending reference with md_write_start() before calling raid1_write_request(). Several failure paths in raid1_write_request() complete the bio and return without reaching the normal write completion path, causing the corresponding md_write_end() to be skipped. Make raid1_write_request() return a status indicating whether the write request was successfully queued. This allows raid1_make_request() to call md_write_end() when raid1_write_request() fails. Additionally, if wait_blocked_rdev() fails after wait_barrier() succeeds, the associated barrier reference is not released. Call allow_barrier() before returning from that path to keep the barrier accounting balanced.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.