CVE-2026-72068

Process denial of service via timer truncation

Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026

Integer overflow in Linux kernel POSIX CPU timers allows local users to prematurely fire process CPU timers on 32-bit systems. The update_rlimit_cpu() function multiplies a 32-bit RLIMIT_CPU value by NSEC_PER_SEC before widening the result to u64, truncating limits above four seconds in the CPUCLOCK_PROF expiry cache. A local low-privileged user must operate on a 32-bit kernel and set a soft CPU limit of at least five seconds; enforcement remains correct, but premature timer expiry can interrupt the affected process.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.22%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Integer overflow in Linux kernel POSIX CPU timers allows local users to prematurely fire process CPU timers on 32-bit systems. The update_rlimit_cpu() function multiplies a 32-bit RLIMIT_CPU value by NSEC_PER_SEC before widening the result to u64, truncating limits above four seconds in the CPUCLOCK_PROF expiry cache. A local low-privileged user must operate on a 32-bit kernel and set a soft CPU limit of at least five seconds; enforcement remains correct, but premature timer expiry can interrupt the affected process.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-72068
Published
Aug 15, 2026
Updated
Aug 15, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-190, T1499
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

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Is a vulnerable build present?

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

  1. Affected versionversion=4.11
  2. Affected versionversion=858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4 <1fafc4d9b411645eb34de43362b966dc8fb3e263
  3. Affected versionversion=858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4 <26aff38fefb1d6cd87e22525f41cc8f1aa61b24f
  4. Affected versionversion=858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4 <384628d6cdde0fcd76868606fad3ad8293100afb
  5. Affected versionversion=858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4 <571e1f10b5996ba3e4dc63ea77de4aa309c384ce
  6. Affected versionversion=858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4 <cff8281bacd2866767e6194c3079d33b6c5a74f4
  7. Affected versionversion=858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4 <ea6a188ee805e841a0e242f14d15953e0dfa74bb
  8. Affected versionversion=858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4 <edf6babb9edd2d3e19229ade339081f439d4f478
  9. Affected versionversion=858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4 <feb5c87c8514444ba891b75a5a3eae57c64edaf8

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=4.11; version=858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4 <1fafc4d9b411645eb34de43362b966dc8fb3e263; version=858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4 <26aff38fefb1d6cd87e22525f41cc8f1aa61b24f; version=858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4 <384628d6cdde0fcd76868606fad3ad8293100afb; version=858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4 <571e1f10b5996ba3e4dc63ea77de4aa309c384ce; version=858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4 <cff8281bacd2866767e6194c3079d33b6c5a74f4; version=858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4 <ea6a188ee805e841a0e242f14d15953e0dfa74bb; version=858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4 <edf6babb9edd2d3e19229ade339081f439d4f478; version=858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4 <feb5c87c8514444ba891b75a5a3eae57c64edaf8

Published CVSS scores

5.5OracleCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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-190Integer Overflow or Wraparound
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

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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