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CVE-2026-46040
MEDIUM · CVSS 5.5
EPSS exploitation probability: 0%
Published 2026-05-27T14:17:23.387 · Last modified 2026-06-17T10:52:56.907

Summary

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: inotify: fix watch count leak when fsnotify_add_inode_mark_locked() fails When fsnotify_add_inode_mark_locked() fails in inotify_new_watch(), the error path calls inotify_remove_from_idr() but does not call dec_inotify_watches() to undo the preceding inc_inotify_watches(). This leaks a watch count, and repeated failures can exhaust the max_user_watches limit with -ENOSPC even when no watches are active. Prior to commit 1cce1eea0aff ("inotify: Convert to using per-namespace limits"), the watch count was incremented after fsnotify_add_mark_locked() succeeded, so this path was not affected. The conversion moved inc_inotify_watches() before the mark insertion without adding the corresponding rollback. Add the missing dec_i

Affected products

linux — linux_kernel

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References

This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Informational only; not professional security advice.