CVE-2026-72371

Local denial of service via AFS volume mishandling

Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026

Improper AFS volume handling in Linux 6.7 allows local users to interrupt service by replacing a volume in the cell tree. afs_insert_volume_into_cell() sets AFS_VOLUME_RM_TREE on the incoming volume instead of the replaced volume, causing cleanup to remove the old object twice while retaining the new object. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and AFS volume replacement activity; the corrupted lifecycle state causes resource exhaustion or a system crash.

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

Improper AFS volume handling in Linux 6.7 allows local users to interrupt service by replacing a volume in the cell tree. afs_insert_volume_into_cell() sets AFS_VOLUME_RM_TREE on the incoming volume instead of the replaced volume, causing cleanup to remove the old object twice while retaining the new object. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and AFS volume replacement activity; the corrupted lifecycle state causes resource exhaustion or a system crash.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-72371
Published
Aug 15, 2026
Updated
Aug 15, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-763, CWE-665, 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=5.15.146 <5.15.212
  2. Affected versionversion=6.1.70 <6.1.178
  3. Affected versionversion=6.6.9 <6.6.145
  4. Affected versionversion=6.7
  5. Affected versionversion=98fb5eaade749e9d366fdd1f622d560ad68bdedd <6fa9a8a73e16aa22fce6e41cc00d59c767f0a540
  6. Affected versionversion=9a6b294ab496650e9f270123730df37030911b55 <158c5a0b1dfc0e6a419efe18404047a4d2dff59e
  7. Affected versionversion=9a6b294ab496650e9f270123730df37030911b55 <56b4e4b26f84411d880f968a539207b0a8889c8c
  8. Affected versionversion=9a6b294ab496650e9f270123730df37030911b55 <d0c8ad418b47891a03426c5e02ebb0537f8d68f8
  9. Affected versionversion=9a6b294ab496650e9f270123730df37030911b55 <d154c20837f379343f192d4b8d9dd4ef145562e6
  10. Affected versionversion=9b4c95a63e2dfe5ea73d92fb82ec34c3efa76284 <c421bc6b957e56e45e12dbaeaf70a60db20d6465
  11. Affected versionversion=c3215484ca1f64b6b8af03847856499e5364e65a <1607075220cf57161d9116512994c159eacefc0d

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=5.15.146 <5.15.212; version=6.1.70 <6.1.178; version=6.6.9 <6.6.145; version=6.7; version=98fb5eaade749e9d366fdd1f622d560ad68bdedd <6fa9a8a73e16aa22fce6e41cc00d59c767f0a540; version=9a6b294ab496650e9f270123730df37030911b55 <158c5a0b1dfc0e6a419efe18404047a4d2dff59e; version=9a6b294ab496650e9f270123730df37030911b55 <56b4e4b26f84411d880f968a539207b0a8889c8c; version=9a6b294ab496650e9f270123730df37030911b55 <d0c8ad418b47891a03426c5e02ebb0537f8d68f8; version=9a6b294ab496650e9f270123730df37030911b55 <d154c20837f379343f192d4b8d9dd4ef145562e6; version=9b4c95a63e2dfe5ea73d92fb82ec34c3efa76284 <c421bc6b957e56e45e12dbaeaf70a60db20d6465; version=c3215484ca1f64b6b8af03847856499e5364e65a <1607075220cf57161d9116512994c159eacefc0d

Published CVSS scores

7.0Red HatCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
7.3SUSECVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
7.8Linux Kernel CNACVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/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-763Release of Invalid Pointer or Reference
CWE-665Improper Initialization
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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