In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
mtd: core: Fix refcount error in del_mtd_device()
del_mtd_device() will call of_node_put() to mtd_get_of_node(mtd), which is mtd->dev.of_node. However, memset(&mtd->dev, 0) is called before of_node_put(). As the result, of_node_put() won't do anything in del_mtd_device(), and causes the refcount leak.
del_mtd_device() memset(&mtd->dev, 0, sizeof(mtd->dev) # clear mtd->dev of_node_put() mtd_get_of_node(mtd) # mtd->dev is cleared, can't locate of_node # of_node_put(NULL) won't do anything
Fix the error by caching the pointer of the device_node.
OF: ERROR: memory leak, expected refcount 1 instead of 2, of_node_get()/of_node_put() unbalanced - destroy cset entry: attach overlay node /spi/spi-sram@0 CPU: 3 PID: 275 Comm: python3 Tainted: G N 6.1.0-rc3+ #54 0d8a1edddf51f172ff5226989a7565c6313b08e2 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.15.0-0-g2dd4b9b3f840-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x67/0x83 kobject_get+0x155/0x160 of_node_get+0x1f/0x30 of_fwnode_get+0x43/0x70 fwnode_handle_get+0x54/0x80 fwnode_get_nth_parent+0xc9/0xe0 fwnode_full_name_string+0x3f/0xa0 device_node_string+0x30f/0x750 pointer+0x598/0x7a0 vsnprintf+0x62d/0x9b0 ... cfs_overlay_release+0x30/0x90 config_item_release+0xbe/0x1a0 config_item_put+0x5e/0x80 configfs_rmdir+0x3bd/0x540 vfs_rmdir+0x18c/0x320 do_rmdir+0x198/0x330 __x64_sys_rmdir+0x2c/0x40 do_syscall_64+0x37/0x90 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x63/0xcd
[<[email protected]>: Light reword of the commit log]
| Software | From | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| linux / linux_kernel | 5.17 | 6.0.16 |
| linux / linux_kernel | 6.1 | 6.1.2 |
A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.
A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.
Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.
Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.
SynScan combines attack surface monitoring and continuous security auditing to keep your inventory current, flag high-impact vulnerabilities early, and help you turn raw findings into a practical remediation plan.