CVE-2026-72066

Local privilege escalation via unbounded hotplug state output

Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026

Buffer overflow in Linux kernel CPU hotplug allows local users to overwrite kernel memory by reading registered states through sysfs. The states_show() function appends every registered hotplug state name to one PAGE_SIZE sysfs buffer with unbounded sprintf() calls. Exploitation requires local low-privilege access and enough registered states; the resulting overwrite can crash the system or elevate privileges.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.18%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Buffer overflow in Linux kernel CPU hotplug allows local users to overwrite kernel memory by reading registered states through sysfs. The states_show() function appends every registered hotplug state name to one PAGE_SIZE sysfs buffer with unbounded sprintf() calls. Exploitation requires local low-privilege access and enough registered states; the resulting overwrite can crash the system or elevate privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-72066
Published
Aug 15, 2026
Updated
Aug 15, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-120, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 15, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 15, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=4.6
  2. Affected versionversion=98f8cdce1db580b99fce823a48eea2cb2bdb261e <2408be459c70ef4250da1a9e50f5478e6b250d61
  3. Affected versionversion=98f8cdce1db580b99fce823a48eea2cb2bdb261e <61a73a123ac7a7fbc57382531f8cb7092d569aba
  4. Affected versionversion=98f8cdce1db580b99fce823a48eea2cb2bdb261e <631d53102da9f469c96b882b770336bec095b833
  5. Affected versionversion=98f8cdce1db580b99fce823a48eea2cb2bdb261e <6cb15b81ff545840048fb0e1a6e827d560dbf367
  6. Affected versionversion=98f8cdce1db580b99fce823a48eea2cb2bdb261e <86f436567f2516a0083b210bedc933544826a2c3
  7. Affected versionversion=98f8cdce1db580b99fce823a48eea2cb2bdb261e <998f66e9ce320f3433f60b948e3698b744754a46
  8. Affected versionversion=98f8cdce1db580b99fce823a48eea2cb2bdb261e <de4d3d8ae17dc8b4cf8c59436c4b7e2dc2491635

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=4.6; version=98f8cdce1db580b99fce823a48eea2cb2bdb261e <2408be459c70ef4250da1a9e50f5478e6b250d61; version=98f8cdce1db580b99fce823a48eea2cb2bdb261e <61a73a123ac7a7fbc57382531f8cb7092d569aba; version=98f8cdce1db580b99fce823a48eea2cb2bdb261e <631d53102da9f469c96b882b770336bec095b833; version=98f8cdce1db580b99fce823a48eea2cb2bdb261e <6cb15b81ff545840048fb0e1a6e827d560dbf367; version=98f8cdce1db580b99fce823a48eea2cb2bdb261e <86f436567f2516a0083b210bedc933544826a2c3; version=98f8cdce1db580b99fce823a48eea2cb2bdb261e <998f66e9ce320f3433f60b948e3698b744754a46; version=98f8cdce1db580b99fce823a48eea2cb2bdb261e <de4d3d8ae17dc8b4cf8c59436c4b7e2dc2491635

Published CVSS scores

7.8Linux CNACVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
7.0Red HatCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-120Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow')
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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