---
id: "CVE-2026-98445"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-98445"]
title: "Linux kernel XFS: memory allocation failure leaks blocks during online repair"
severity: "unknown"
cvss: null
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "runtime"
products: []
ecosystems: []
tags: ["linux-kernel", "runtime", "self-hosted", "xfs"]
not_affected_if: []
published_at: "2026-10-18T16:16:54+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-10-23T21:57:15+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-25T05:27:28+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98445", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-23T21:57:15+00:00"}]
---

# Linux kernel XFS: memory allocation failure leaks blocks during online repair

In the Linux kernel's XFS filesystem, an out-of-memory failure during online repair could leak blocks that were allocated for a new btree, and could force the filesystem to go down. The fix makes that small allocation non-failing, so the leak and the forced shutdown no longer occur.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## How to check

- unknown

## Fix

- unknown

## Timeline

- 2026-10-23T21:57:15+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98445

## From the sources

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

xfs: don't let memory failures leak blocks and kill repairs

LOLLM complains that a memory allocation failure in
xrep_newbt_add_blocks results in online repair leaking blocks that were
previously allocated to write a new btree, but the problem is worse than
that -- a limitation of the codebase is that the callers cannot undo the
transaction /and/ return the error -- either you undo all changes and
commit the transaction, or you error out and the filesystem goes down.

However, the new btree space reservation object isn't that big (~48
bytes).  Let's just do a NOFAIL allocation and the problem goes away.

---

_Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai_