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

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: hfsplus: return error when node already exists in hfs_bnode_create When hfs_bnode_create() 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 hfs_bnode_put(): kernel BUG at fs/hfsplus/bnode.c:676! BUG_ON(!atomic_read(&node->refcnt)) This scenario can occur when hfs_bmap_alloc() 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 ERR_PTR(-EEXIST) instead of the node when it's already hashed. This properly signals the error condition to callers, which already check for IS_ERR() return values.

Published: 2026-05-27 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
NVD Status：Analyzed，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2026-45960 is rated Low Risk (22.8/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.12%). Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-45960

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-16 0.18% 0.12% -0.05%
2 2026-06-15 0.02% 0.18% +0.15%
3 2026-05-28 — 0.02% —

Full EPSS history (3 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-45960

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
5.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.8 3.6 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-45960

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2026-45960

GHSA-3j7g-p6x3-6qqj · Severity: medium — In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: hfsplus: return error when...

OS Trackers for CVE-2026-45960

vendor priority summary link
debian not yet assigned CVE-2026-45960 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (linux), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-45960
redhat medium — https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-45960
suse medium — https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-45960/
ubuntu medium CVE-2026-45960 medium priority: Ubuntu including 158 source packages (linux, linux-allwinner-5.19, …), 1422 status rows across 9 suites (bionic, focal, jammy, noble, questing, resolute, trusty, upstream, xenial): DNE 1024, ignored 173, needed 112, released 84, pending 18, not-affected 10, needs-triage 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-45960

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-45960

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
linux linux_kernel >= 2.6.16.1, < 5.10.252 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 5.11, < 5.15.202 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 5.16, < 6.1.165 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 6.2, < 6.6.128 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 6.7, < 6.12.75 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 6.13, < 6.18.14 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 6.19, < 6.19.4 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel 2.6.16 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.16:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel 2.6.16 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.16:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel 2.6.16 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.16:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel 2.6.16 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.16:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel 2.6.16 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.16:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel 2.6.16 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.16:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2026-45960

cvelogic Threat Intelligence