CVE-2026-45960: hfsplus: return error when node already exists in hfs_bnode_create

Published May 27, 2026
·
Updated

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

hfsplus: return error when node already exists in hfsbnodecreate

When hfsbnodecreate() finds that a node is already hashed (which should not happen in normal operation), it currently returns the existing node without incrementing its reference count. This causes a reference count inconsistency that leads to a kernel panic when the node is later freed in hfsbnodeput():

kernel BUG at fs/hfsplus/bnode.c:676! BUGON(!atomicread(&node->refcnt))

This scenario can occur when hfsbmapalloc() attempts to allocate a node that is already in use (e.g., when node 0's bitmap bit is incorrectly unset), or due to filesystem corruption.

Returning an existing node from a create path is not normal operation.

Fix this by returning ERRPTR(-EEXIST) instead of the node when it's already hashed. This properly signals the error condition to callers, which already check for ISERR() return values.

Affected Software

14 affected components
Linux Linux kernel
Linux Linux kernel>=2.6.16.1<5.10.252
Linux Linux kernel>=5.11<5.15.202
Linux Linux kernel>=5.16<6.1.165
Linux Linux kernel>=6.2<6.6.128
Linux Linux kernel>=6.7<6.12.75
Linux Linux kernel>=6.13<6.18.14
Linux Linux kernel>=6.19<6.19.4
Linux Linux kernel=2.6.16
Linux Linux kernel=2.6.16-rc2
Linux Linux kernel=2.6.16-rc3
Linux Linux kernel=2.6.16-rc4
Linux Linux kernel=2.6.16-rc5
Linux Linux kernel=2.6.16-rc6

Event History

May 27, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·12:18 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·12:18 PM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·02:17 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software

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