Linux Kernel Vulnerability in Btrfs Mapping Node Management

CVE-2026-68450

What is CVE-2026-68450?

A resource management issue has been identified in the Linux kernel's Btrfs subsystem where a mapping node is allocated, yet not appropriately linked or freed upon encountering a duplicate entry. This oversight occurs in the __add_reloc_root() function during the insertion of a mapping node into the reloc_root_tree. If a duplicate is detected, the function fails without releasing the new node, which can lead to memory leaks. Proper handling was introduced to ensure that newly allocated resources are cleaned up before returning an error, thereby preventing potential resource exhaustion and ensuring system stability.

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