# CVE-2026-53244: linux: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:  VFS: fix possible failure to unlock in nfsd4_cre...

CVE-2026-53244 is fixed in linux on 1 platform by DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53244 (version 7.0.13-1), released June 28, 2026. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: High.

- Web page: https://patchblox.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-53244
- Priority: High
- CVSS: 7.5 (high)
- EPSS: 0.0049
- CISA KEV: not listed
- Exploited (vendor report): no
- Publicly disclosed: no
- Published: Jun 25, 2026

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:  VFS: fix possible failure to unlock in nfsd4_create_file()  atomic_create() in fs/namei.c drops the reference to the dentry when it returns an error. This behaviour was imported into dentry_create() so that it will drop the reference if an error is returned from atomic_create(), though not if vfs_create() returns an error (in the case where ->atomic_create is not supported).  The caller - nfsd4_create_file() - is made aware of this by checking path->dentry, which will either be a counted reference to a dentry, or an error pointer.  However the change to use start_creating()/end_creating() (which landed shortly before the dentry_create() change landed, though was likely developed around the same time) means that nfsd4_create_file() *needs* a valid dentry so that it can unlock the parent.  The net result is that if NFSD exports a filesystem which uses ->atomic_create, and if a call to ->atomic_create returns an error, then nfsd4_create_file() will pass an error pointer to end_creating() and the parent will not be unlocked.  Fix this by changing dentry_create() to make sure path->dentry is always a valid dentry, never an error-pointer.  The actual error is already returned a different way.  Note that if ->atomic_create() returns a different dentry (which may not be possible in practice) we are guaranteed (because it is only ever provided by d_spliace_alias()) that it will have the same d_parent and so it will have the same effect when passed to end_creating().

## Where it's fixed

| Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | linux Debian 14 | 7.0.13-1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53244](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2026-53244.md) | Jun 28, 2026 |

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