CVE-2026-31639: rxrpc: Fix key reference count leak from call->key

Severity: medium (CVSS 5.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.1% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-04-24 · updated 2026-06-17

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: rxrpc: Fix key reference count leak from call->key When creating a client call in rxrpc_alloc_client_call(), the code obtains a reference to the key. This is never cleaned up and gets leaked when the call is destroyed. Fix this by freeing call->key in rxrpc_destroy_call(). Before the patch, it shows the key reference counter elevated: $ cat /proc/keys | grep afs@54321 1bffe9cd I--Q--i 8053480 4169w 3b010000 1000 1000 rxrpc afs@54321: ka $ After the patch, the invalidated key is removed when the code exits: $ cat /proc/keys | grep afs@54321 $

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 6.2.1 before 6.6.135; from 6.7 before 6.12.82; from 6.13 before 6.18.23; from 6.19 before 6.19.13; 6.2, 7.0-rc1, 7.0-rc2, 7.0-rc3, 7.0-rc4, 7.0-rc5 (+2) — fixed in 6.12.82, 6.18.23, 6.19.13, 6.6.135

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 6.12.82, 6.18.23, 6.19.13, 6.6.135. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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