CVE-2026-46040

Description

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_inotify_watches() call in the error path.

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EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0012

Probability of exploitation

0.02%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

References

Other References

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/10edf7e0ffdc7faa18e2244b17722c1b882b8273 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3ab58cf42c46bf2366d2f55ae5c59299d5e178b7 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3ad9ccea1b25435f6179b57aa891960beb7ce8f9 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6a320935fa4293e9e599ec9f85dc9eb3be7029f8 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/73ddc8518a32baff6bc17afda4ee1ebae5b4ed12 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8bcc1cd237ab5ccfdd102869fa031c541943cf40 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9e48844f708eb48bae4e79cb21edc097c966306d https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fdaa42ca370d056428e5e171247c8fdce8dff36a

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-46040? +

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_inotify_watches() call in the error path.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-46040? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.