{"id":"CVE-2026-46040","summary":"inotify: fix watch count leak when fsnotify_add_inode_mark_locked() fails","details":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\ninotify: fix watch count leak when fsnotify_add_inode_mark_locked() fails\n\nWhen fsnotify_add_inode_mark_locked() fails in inotify_new_watch(),\nthe error path calls inotify_remove_from_idr() but does not call\ndec_inotify_watches() to undo the preceding inc_inotify_watches().\nThis leaks a watch count, and repeated failures can exhaust the\nmax_user_watches limit with -ENOSPC even when no watches are active.\n\nPrior to commit 1cce1eea0aff (\"inotify: Convert to using per-namespace\nlimits\"), the watch count was incremented after fsnotify_add_mark_locked()\nsucceeded, so this path was not affected. The conversion moved\ninc_inotify_watches() before the mark insertion without adding the\ncorresponding rollback.\n\nAdd the missing dec_inotify_watches() call in the error path.","modified":"2026-06-18T03:56:34.283621010Z","published":"2026-05-27T12:56:52.161Z","related":["openSUSE-SU-2026:10954-1"],"database_specific":{"osv_generated_from":"https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/46xxx/CVE-2026-46040.json","cna_assigner":"Linux"},"references":[{"type":"WEB","url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/10edf7e0ffdc7faa18e2244b17722c1b882b8273"},{"type":"WEB","url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3ab58cf42c46bf2366d2f55ae5c59299d5e178b7"},{"type":"WEB","url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3ad9ccea1b25435f6179b57aa891960beb7ce8f9"},{"type":"WEB","url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6a320935fa4293e9e599ec9f85dc9eb3be7029f8"},{"type":"WEB","url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/73ddc8518a32baff6bc17afda4ee1ebae5b4ed12"},{"type":"WEB","url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8bcc1cd237ab5ccfdd102869fa031c541943cf40"},{"type":"WEB","url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9e48844f708eb48bae4e79cb21edc097c966306d"},{"type":"WEB","url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fdaa42ca370d056428e5e171247c8fdce8dff36a"},{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/46xxx/CVE-2026-46040.json"},{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46040"},{"type":"PACKAGE","url":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git"}],"affected":[{"ranges":[{"type":"GIT","repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","events":[{"introduced":"1cce1eea0aff51201753fcaca421df825b0813b6"},{"fixed":"3ab58cf42c46bf2366d2f55ae5c59299d5e178b7"},{"fixed":"10edf7e0ffdc7faa18e2244b17722c1b882b8273"},{"fixed":"3ad9ccea1b25435f6179b57aa891960beb7ce8f9"},{"fixed":"8bcc1cd237ab5ccfdd102869fa031c541943cf40"},{"fixed":"73ddc8518a32baff6bc17afda4ee1ebae5b4ed12"},{"fixed":"fdaa42ca370d056428e5e171247c8fdce8dff36a"},{"fixed":"9e48844f708eb48bae4e79cb21edc097c966306d"},{"fixed":"6a320935fa4293e9e599ec9f85dc9eb3be7029f8"}]}],"database_specific":{"source":"https://storage.googleapis.com/osv-test-cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2026-46040.json"}},{"package":{"name":"Kernel","ecosystem":"Linux"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"4.11.0"},{"fixed":"5.10.258"}]},{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"5.11.0"},{"fixed":"5.15.209"}]},{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"5.16.0"},{"fixed":"6.1.175"}]},{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"6.2.0"},{"fixed":"6.6.140"}]},{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"6.7.0"},{"fixed":"6.12.86"}]},{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"6.13.0"},{"fixed":"6.18.27"}]},{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"6.19.0"},{"fixed":"7.0.4"}]}],"database_specific":{"source":"https://storage.googleapis.com/osv-test-cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2026-46040.json"}}],"schema_version":"1.7.5"}