# CVE-2026-72240: mfd: sm501: Fix reference leak on failed device registration

Status: published. Published: 2026-08-15. Updated: 2026-11-06.

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

mfd: sm501: Fix reference leak on failed device registration

When platform_device_register() fails in sm501_register_device(), the
embedded struct device in pdev has already been initialized by
device_initialize(), but the failure path only reports the error and
returns without dropping the device reference for the current platform
device:

  sm501_register_device()
    -> platform_device_register(pdev)
       -> device_initialize(&pdev->dev)
       -> setup_pdev_dma_masks(pdev)
       -> platform_device_add(pdev)

This leads to a reference leak when platform_device_register() fails.
Fix this by calling platform_device_put() before returning the error.

The issue was identified by a static analysis tool I developed and
confirmed by manual review.

## Remediation

No remediation reported in collected sources

## Affected products and versions

- Linux / Linux: ≥ b6d6454fdb66f3829af8b92ab06825b6060fdf7e; < bbb1ecaed4ed7680e63d3a0f143f03de32de5d6e (affected, git); ≥ b6d6454fdb66f3829af8b92ab06825b6060fdf7e; < e2dac91380a10e9e8d5883fb73ce9d9b390a629c (affected, git); ≥ b6d6454fdb66f3829af8b92ab06825b6060fdf7e; < 0baf9d43a7b7b43df2900bd8656e75b725028b6e (affected, git); ≥ b6d6454fdb66f3829af8b92ab06825b6060fdf7e; < a3e340d506c1036a747fb0972aebf1063f7ef30e (affected, git); ≥ b6d6454fdb66f3829af8b92ab06825b6060fdf7e; < 760a1029692f1d788dc11aa636a3bf432e58b240 (affected, git); ≥ b6d6454fdb66f3829af8b92ab06825b6060fdf7e; < 16a42c88c4667fa0bd944e438a667e059551f1f1 (affected, git); ≥ b6d6454fdb66f3829af8b92ab06825b6060fdf7e; < 2ff8156fd500d54c61430b6834137fd0a07047ce (affected, git); ≥ b6d6454fdb66f3829af8b92ab06825b6060fdf7e; < 8c2f0b42fc252e1bf1c7746447091a468e784ca1 (affected, git). Source: CNA: Linux
- Linux / Linux: 2.6.21 (affected); ≥ 0; < 2.6.21 (unaffected, semver); ≥ 5.10.261; ≤ 5.10.* (unaffected, semver); ≥ 5.15.212; ≤ 5.15.* (unaffected, semver); ≥ 6.1.178; ≤ 6.1.* (unaffected, semver); ≥ 6.6.145; ≤ 6.6.* (unaffected, semver); ≥ 6.12.97; ≤ 6.12.* (unaffected, semver); ≥ 6.18.40; ≤ 6.18.* (unaffected, semver); ≥ 7.1.5; ≤ 7.1.* (unaffected, semver); ≥ 7.2; ≤ * (unaffected, original_commit_for_fix). Source: CNA: Linux

## Severity and prioritization

- CISA KEV: No listing in collected sources

- EPSS: 0.22% as of 2026-11-06; percentile 12.55%

- SSVC: exploitation none; automatable no; technical impact partial; source ADP: CISA-ADP

- Weaknesses: Not reported

## Exploit evidence

No exploit evidence in collected sources. This is not proof of no exploitation.

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bbb1ecaed4ed7680e63d3a0f143f03de32de5d6e (CNA: Linux)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e2dac91380a10e9e8d5883fb73ce9d9b390a629c (CNA: Linux)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0baf9d43a7b7b43df2900bd8656e75b725028b6e (CNA: Linux)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a3e340d506c1036a747fb0972aebf1063f7ef30e (CNA: Linux)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/760a1029692f1d788dc11aa636a3bf432e58b240 (CNA: Linux)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/16a42c88c4667fa0bd944e438a667e059551f1f1 (CNA: Linux)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2ff8156fd500d54c61430b6834137fd0a07047ce (CNA: Linux)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8c2f0b42fc252e1bf1c7746447091a468e784ca1 (CNA: Linux)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0baf9d43a7b7b43df2900bd8656e75b725028b6e (416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/16a42c88c4667fa0bd944e438a667e059551f1f1 (416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2ff8156fd500d54c61430b6834137fd0a07047ce (416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/760a1029692f1d788dc11aa636a3bf432e58b240 (416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8c2f0b42fc252e1bf1c7746447091a468e784ca1 (416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a3e340d506c1036a747fb0972aebf1063f7ef30e (416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bbb1ecaed4ed7680e63d3a0f143f03de32de5d6e (416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e2dac91380a10e9e8d5883fb73ce9d9b390a629c (416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)

## Provenance

- CNA: Linux: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72240; retrieved 2026-11-06; source updated 2026-11-06

- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72240; retrieved 2026-11-06; source updated 2026-11-06

- FIRST EPSS: https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-72240; retrieved 2026-11-06; source updated Not reported

Revision: 4a8829898d1012c4c92ecdef7bbd1fcfd1ac382f99fdddf3190abe6a0a1cc7de

Canonical: https://y2.dev/cve/CVE-2026-72240

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