Executive brief
The Linux kernel's device tree unit test framework has a memory leak in the unittest_data_add() function that fails to free allocated memory when device tree resolution operations fail. This can cause incremental memory exhaustion during kernel initialization or testing, potentially leading to system instability or denial of service.
Technical details
This is a memory leak vulnerability in the of/unittest.c driver code, specifically in the unittest_data_add() initialization function. When of_resolve_phandles() or related device tree flattening operations fail, an allocated kernel buffer (unittest_data) is not freed, remaining leaked in kernel memory. The fix employs scope-based automatic cleanup using the __free(kfree) C extension to guarantee deallocation in error paths, and uses retain_and_null_ptr() to safely transfer ownership to the device tree in the success path. The vulnerability is non-exploitable through network or user-facing attack vectors, as it only manifests during kernel initialization unit tests.
Affected products
- Linux Linux kernel multiple versions from 2.6.11 through 6.x (patched in stable series)
Timeline
- 2026-02-14: disclosed: CVE published
- 2026-01-02: patched: Fix merged in mainline
- 2025-12-31: other: Fix authored