LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2026-46087: mm/damon/stat: fix memory leak on damon_start() failure in damon_stat_start()

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/damon/stat: fix memory leak on damon_start() failure in damon_stat_start() Destroy the DAMON context and reset the global pointer when damon_start() fails. Otherwise, the context allocated by damon_stat_build_ctx() is leaked, and the stale damon_stat_context pointer will be overwritten on the next enable attempt, making the old allocation permanently unreachable.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This Linux kernel issue is a memory leak in DAMON statistics startup error handling. If DAMON startup fails, allocated memory can be left unreachable and a stale global pointer remains. The sources do not provide a CVSS score or active exploitation evidence.

Executive priority

Treat this as a routine kernel maintenance item unless your environment depends on affected DAMON functionality or has memory pressure sensitivity. There is no active exploitation evidence in the supplied sources, but patch tracking is still warranted.

Technical view

In damon_stat_start(), damon_stat_build_ctx() can allocate a DAMON context before damon_start() fails. The vulnerable logic did not destroy that context or reset damon_stat_context, so later enable attempts could overwrite the pointer and permanently lose the allocation.

Likely exposure

Exposure appears limited to Linux kernels containing the affected DAMON stat code path. The CVE data lists Linux kernel versions including 6.17, 6.18.27, 7.0.4, and 7.1 as affected, but distribution backport status is not provided.

Exploitation context

No source in the bundle reports exploitation in the wild, and the CVE is not marked KEV. The described impact is a kernel memory leak triggered by a damon_start() failure path, not a documented privilege escalation or remote attack.

Researcher notes

The fix is narrow: free the DAMON context and clear the global pointer when damon_start() fails. The provided sources do not include CVSS, CWE, exploitability analysis, or distribution-specific affected package ranges.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply vendor kernel updates that include the referenced stable fixes.
  • Check Linux distribution advisories for backported fixes and affected package versions.
  • Prioritize systems running affected kernels with DAMON stat functionality present.
  • Monitor kernel memory pressure if patching must be deferred.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory running kernel versions across Linux hosts.
  • Compare kernel packages against vendor advisories and the referenced stable commits.
  • Verify whether affected systems include the DAMON stat code path.
  • Confirm patched systems no longer carry the vulnerable damon_stat_start() logic.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
5

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2026-46087 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
0ADP providers
4Source links

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux369c415e60732b7c8ed33368891581246f580d7a, 369c415e60732b7c8ed33368891581246f580d7a, 369c415e60732b7c8ed33368891581246f580d7aunaffected
LinuxLinux6.17, 0, 6.18.27, 7.0.4, 7.1affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.