GHSA-QPVQ-4872-PR63
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-08-10 15:33 – Updated: 2026-08-10 15:33In 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.
{
"affected": [],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2026-68416"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [],
"github_reviewed": false,
"github_reviewed_at": null,
"nvd_published_at": "2026-08-10T13:20:35Z",
"severity": null
},
"details": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nmtd: fix double free and WARN_ON in add_mtd_device() error paths\n\nWhen device_register() or mtd_nvmem_add() fails inside\nadd_mtd_device() for a partition, the error handling triggers\nmtd_release() via put_device() or device_unregister(). mtd_release()\ncalls release_mtd_partition() which frees the mtd_info structure.\nHowever, callers such as mtd_add_partition() and add_mtd_partitions()\nalso call free_partition() in their error paths, resulting in a double\nfree.\n\nAdditionally, release_mtd_partition() hits WARN_ON(!list_empty(\n\u0026mtd-\u003epart.node)) because the partition node is still linked in the\nparent\u0027s partitions list when the release callback fires from the\nadd_mtd_device() error path.\n\nFix this by overriding dev-\u003etype and dev-\u003erelease before put_device()\nin the error paths, so that device_release() invokes a no-op function\ninstead of mtd_release(). For the mtd_nvmem_add() failure case,\ndevice_unregister() is replaced with device_del() to separate the\ndevice removal from the final kobject reference drop, allowing the\noverride to take effect before put_device() is called.\n\nThe callers\u0027 error paths (list_del + free_partition) remain the sole\nowners of mtd_info lifetime on add_mtd_device() failure, which is the\nexpected contract.\n\nThe normal partition teardown path is not affected: del_mtd_device()\ngoes through kref_put() -\u003e mtd_device_release() -\u003e device_unregister()\nwith dev-\u003etype still set to \u0026mtd_devtype, so mtd_release() -\u003e\nrelease_mtd_partition() continues to work correctly for the regular\nremoval case.",
"id": "GHSA-qpvq-4872-pr63",
"modified": "2026-08-10T15:33:50Z",
"published": "2026-08-10T15:33:50Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-68416"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/820f983d641937a787e841ee4b93501f69f5683e"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9d4af746af8ce27eefc2338b2feaa1e01f28b6c3"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e1e96aca1bdf391e2f49531c270ffc134e5b49a5"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f98ae09c727dcf34f745c875661c64b642e4abfa"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ffe21a3545b439e7b11578a701c22a847c149561"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": []
}
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