CVE-2026-72266

Kernel-memory leak via unreleased framebuffer option

Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026

Memory leak in Linux 6.4 allows local users to retain kernel memory during vesafb initialization through a video option. vesafb_probe() passes the caller-owned string returned by fb_get_options() to vesafb_setup() but fails to free that allocation afterward. The path runs only when the Intel VESA framebuffer is initialized at boot; the documented consequence is one unreclaimed option buffer, not data access or code execution.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.20%
Next 30 days · Sep 17, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Memory leak in Linux 6.4 allows local users to retain kernel memory during vesafb initialization through a video option. vesafb_probe() passes the caller-owned string returned by fb_get_options() to vesafb_setup() but fails to free that allocation afterward. The path runs only when the Intel VESA framebuffer is initialized at boot; the documented consequence is one unreclaimed option buffer, not data access or code execution.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-72266
Published
Aug 15, 2026
Updated
Aug 15, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
Unavailable
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=6.4
  2. Affected versionversion=73ce73c30ba9ae4d90fdfad7ebe9104001d5d851 <124df55c7201d011a3fead2205685b6c47eae093
  3. Affected versionversion=73ce73c30ba9ae4d90fdfad7ebe9104001d5d851 <43af398217ca8940bf30643fd1150b4c655b8a88
  4. Affected versionversion=73ce73c30ba9ae4d90fdfad7ebe9104001d5d851 <58bc18e03481b62f0ec53fe47f36615d52660a7d
  5. Affected versionversion=73ce73c30ba9ae4d90fdfad7ebe9104001d5d851 <7b96ce9f8e47538c3c6eebbb217c94d696975cac
  6. Affected versionversion=73ce73c30ba9ae4d90fdfad7ebe9104001d5d851 <b15d708995c01bbffe7dcd634a31959f6805bed3

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=6.4; version=73ce73c30ba9ae4d90fdfad7ebe9104001d5d851 <124df55c7201d011a3fead2205685b6c47eae093; version=73ce73c30ba9ae4d90fdfad7ebe9104001d5d851 <43af398217ca8940bf30643fd1150b4c655b8a88; version=73ce73c30ba9ae4d90fdfad7ebe9104001d5d851 <58bc18e03481b62f0ec53fe47f36615d52660a7d; version=73ce73c30ba9ae4d90fdfad7ebe9104001d5d851 <7b96ce9f8e47538c3c6eebbb217c94d696975cac; version=73ce73c30ba9ae4d90fdfad7ebe9104001d5d851 <b15d708995c01bbffe7dcd634a31959f6805bed3

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 11, 2026Sep 17, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 17, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

No sourced classifications are available.

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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