Security assessments indicate that CVE-2026-46141 presents a notable risk, potentially requiring prompt mitigation.
Status: Analyzed
Last updated: 🕔 24 Jun 2026, 17:08 UTC
Originally published on: 🕙 28 May 2026, 10:16 UTC
Time between publication and last update: 27 days
CVSS Release: version 3
nvd@nist.gov
Primary
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVE-2026-46141: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: powerpc/xive: fix kmemleak caused by incorrect chip_data lookup The kmemleak reports the following memory leak: Unreferenced object 0xc0000002a7fbc640 (size 64): comm "kworker/8:1", pid 540, jiffies 4294937872 hex dump (first 32 bytes): 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 09 04 00 04 00 00 ................ 00 00 a7 81 00 00 0a c0 00 00 08 04 00 04 00 00 ................ backtrace (crc 177d48f6): __kmalloc_cache_noprof+0x520/0x730 xive_irq_alloc_data.constprop.0+0x40/0xe0 xive_irq_domain_alloc+0xd0/0x1b0 irq_domain_alloc_irqs_parent+0x44/0x6c pseries_irq_domain_alloc+0x1cc/0x354 irq_domain_alloc_irqs_parent+0x44/0x6c msi_domain_alloc+0xb0/0x220 irq_domain_alloc_irqs_locked+0x138/0x4d0 __irq_domain_alloc_irqs+0x8c/0xfc __msi_domain_alloc_irqs+0x214/0x4d8 msi_domain_alloc_irqs_all_locked+0x70/0xf8 pci_msi_setup_msi_irqs+0x60/0x78 __pci_enable_msix_range+0x54c/0x98c pci_alloc_irq_vectors_affinity+0x16c/0x1d4 nvme_pci_enable+0xac/0x9c0 [nvme] nvme_probe+0x340/0x764 [nvme] This occurs when allocating MSI-X vectors for an NVMe device. During allocation the XIVE code creates a struct xive_irq_data and stores it in irq_data->chip_data. When the MSI-X irqdomain is later freed, xive_irq_free_data() is responsible for retrieving this structure and freeing it. However, after commit cc0cc23babc9 ("powerpc/xive: Untangle xive from child interrupt controller drivers"), xive_irq_free_data() retrieves the chip_data using irq_get_chip_data(), which looks up the data through the child domain. This is incorrect because the XIVE-specific irq data is associated with the XIVE (parent) domain. As a result the lookup fails and the allocated struct xive_irq_data is never freed, leading to the kmemleak report shown above. Fix this by retrieving the irq_data from the correct domain using irq_domain_get_irq_data() and then accessing the chip_data via irq_data_get_irq_chip_data().
The exploitability of CVE-2026-46141 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
CVE-2026-46141 presents an accessible attack vector with minimal effort required. Restricting access controls and implementing security updates are critical to reducing exploitation risks.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2026-46141, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2026-46141, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
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