Linux Kernel Function Issue Leads to Resource Imbalance

CVE-2026-46196

What is CVE-2026-46196?

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel arises from an improper management of tracepoint registration, specifically during the transition from state 0 to 1. When the tracepoint_add_func() triggers the registration function ext->regfunc() but encounters a failure in func_add(), it fails to call the necessary unregistration function ext->unregfunc(). This error in resource cleanup leaves the system in an imbalanced state where the reference count for syscall tracepoints remains erroneously high, resulting in unnecessary overhead on every task until the next reboot. To resolve this, the code should be modified to ensure symmetric cleanup on errors, mirroring the existing cleanup process for successful registrations.

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