CVE Catalog

CVE-2026-68416

Low risk· EPSS 5%
Published: Updated: Translated: NVD NIST

Exploitation Probability (EPSS)

Low risk
0.16%

5th percentile - higher than 5% of all known CVEs

Summary

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's MTD subsystem causes a double free and WARN_ON in add_mtd_device() error paths. When device_register() or mtd_nvmem_add() fails, the error handling triggers mtd_release() which frees mtd_info, but callers also free it, leading to a double free. Additionally, release_mtd_partition() hits WARN_ON because the partition node is still linked in the parent's list.

Risk Assessment

The vulnerability can cause a kernel panic or unpredictable behavior due to double free, potentially leading to a denial of service. In environments with multiple MTD partitions (e.g., embedded systems), the error may occur during initialization or partition addition, destabilizing the system.

Recommendation

Apply the official Linux kernel patch that fixes this issue in the MTD subsystem immediately. Update the kernel to a patched version or backport the fix if possible.

Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

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Original NVD description (English source)

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mtd: fix double free and WARN_ON in add_mtd_device() error paths When device_register() or mtd_nvmem_add() fails inside add_mtd_device() for a partition, the error handling triggers mtd_release() via put_device() or device_unregister(). mtd_release() calls release_mtd_partition() which frees the mtd_info structure. However, callers such as mtd_add_partition() and add_mtd_partitions() also call free_partition() in their error paths, resulting in a double free. Additionally, release_mtd_partition() hits WARN_ON(!list_empty( &mtd->part.node)) because the partition node is still linked in the parent's partitions list when the release callback fires from the add_mtd_device() error path. Fix this by overriding dev->type and dev->release before put_device() in the error paths, so that device_release() invokes a no-op function instead of mtd_release(). For the mtd_nvmem_add() failure case, device_unregister() is replaced with device_del() to separate the device removal from the final kobject reference drop, allowing the override to take effect before put_device() is called. The callers' error paths (list_del + free_partition) remain the sole owners of mtd_info lifetime on add_mtd_device() failure, which is the expected contract. The normal partition teardown path is not affected: del_mtd_device() goes through kref_put() -> mtd_device_release() -> device_unregister() with dev->type still set to &mtd_devtype, so mtd_release() -> release_mtd_partition() continues to work correctly for the regular removal case.

Vulnerability data from NVD (NIST) · CISA KEV · EPSS