CVE-2026-46042

mm/mempolicy: fix memory leaks in weighted_interleave_auto_store()

Published May 27, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 5.5 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

mm/mempolicy: fix memory leaks in weighted_interleave_auto_store()

weighted_interleave_auto_store() fetches old_wi_state inside the if
(!input) block only. This causes two memory leaks:

1. When a user writes "false" and the current mode is already manual,
the function returns early without freeing the freshly allocated
new_wi_state.

2. When a user writes "true", old_wi_state stays NULL because the
fetch is skipped entirely. The old state is then overwritten by
rcu_assign_pointer() but never freed, since the cleanup path is
gated on old_wi_state being non-NULL. A user can trigger this
repeatedly by writing "1" in a loop.

Fix both leaks by moving the old_wi_state fetch before the input check,
making it unconditional. This also allows a unified early return for both
"true" and "false" when the requested mode matches the current mode.

Reviewed by: Donet Tom <donettom@linux.ibm.com>

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

Source ID Title
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8488-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8489-1 Linux kernel (OEM) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8488-2 Linux kernel (Raspberry Pi) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8507-1 Linux kernel (NVIDIA) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8569-1 Linux kernel (HWE) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8603-1 Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-401
Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-772
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

threat_severity

Low

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/mempolicy: fix memory leaks in weighted_interleave_auto_store() weighted_interleave_auto_store() fetches old_wi_state inside the if (!input) block only. This causes two memory leaks: 1. When a user writes "false" and the current mode is already manual, the function returns early without freeing the freshly allocated new_wi_state. 2. When a user writes "true", old_wi_state stays NULL because the fetch is skipped entirely. The old state is then overwritten by rcu_assign_pointer() but never freed, since the cleanup path is gated on old_wi_state being non-NULL. A user can trigger this repeatedly by writing "1" in a loop. Fix both leaks by moving the old_wi_state fetch before the input check, making it unconditional. This also allows a unified early return for both "true" and "false" when the requested mode matches the current mode. Reviewed by: Donet Tom <donettom@linux.ibm.com>
Title mm/mempolicy: fix memory leaks in weighted_interleave_auto_store()
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
References
Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
Linux
Published
Updated
Jun 14, 2026, 5:50 PM
Reserved
May 13, 2026, 3:03 PM
Status
Analyzed
Published
May 27, 2026, 2:17 PM
Modified
Jun 17, 2026, 10:52 AM
Severity
Low
Public date
May 27, 2026, 12:00 AM