# CVE-2026-72368: linux: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:  cachefiles: Fix double unlock in nomem_d_alloc e...

CVE-2026-72368 is fixed in linux on 1 platform by DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72368 (version 7.1.5-1), released August 15, 2026. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: High.

- Web page: https://patchblox.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-72368
- Priority: High
- CVSS: 7.8 (high)
- EPSS: 0.0017
- CISA KEV: not listed
- Exploited (vendor report): no
- Publicly disclosed: no
- Published: Aug 15, 2026

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:  cachefiles: Fix double unlock in nomem_d_alloc error path  When start_creating() fails and returns -ENOMEM, it has already released the parent directory lock in __start_dirop():      static struct dentry *__start_dirop(...)     {         ...         inode_lock_nested(dir, I_MUTEX_PARENT);         dentry = lookup_one_qstr_excl(name, parent, lookup_flags);         if (IS_ERR(dentry))             inode_unlock(dir);  <-- Lock released on error         return dentry;     }  However, the nomem_d_alloc error path in cachefiles_get_directory() unconditionally calls inode_unlock(d_inode(dir)) again, causing a double unlock that corrupts the rwsem state.  This is a leftover from commit 7ab96df840e60 which replaced manual locking with start_creating() but failed to update the nomem_d_alloc path (while correctly updating mkdir_error and lookup_error paths).

## Where it's fixed

| Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | linux Debian 14 | 7.1.5-1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72368](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2026-72368.md) | Aug 15, 2026 |

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Data as of 2026-11-09T13:31:49Z UTC. Source: Patchblox Patch Radar (https://patchblox.com/security/patch-radar). Patchblox finds out-of-date software on Windows, macOS and Linux and updates it through release rings: https://patchblox.com/demo

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