CVE-2026-72437

Kernel memory leak via failed NOWAIT retry

Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026

Resource leak in the md/raid1 driver in Linux allows attackers to leak kernel memory from the running system through retried NOWAIT reads. raid1_read_request returns after wait_read_barrier fails without freeing the preallocated r1_bio supplied for the retry. Reachability requires a retried REQ_NOWAIT read whose barrier wait would block; the published record reports the allocation leak but no crash or other service interruption.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.21%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Resource leak in the md/raid1 driver in Linux allows attackers to leak kernel memory from the running system through retried NOWAIT reads. raid1_read_request returns after wait_read_barrier fails without freeing the preallocated r1_bio supplied for the retry. Reachability requires a retried REQ_NOWAIT read whose barrier wait would block; the published record reports the allocation leak but no crash or other service interruption.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-72437
Published
Aug 15, 2026
Updated
Aug 15, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
Unavailable
Attack vector
Unavailable
Privileges
Unavailable

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=5.17
  2. Affected versionversion=5aa705039c4fca84575539bfa2b8a28454a3d2ca <69ad6ce47f9bf2b9fe0ed69b042db993d33bbf12
  3. Affected versionversion=5aa705039c4fca84575539bfa2b8a28454a3d2ca <6d92dbd73d19a0622f60352ce9d9379f7a760112
  4. Affected versionversion=5aa705039c4fca84575539bfa2b8a28454a3d2ca <c66ed3e6371f5dba8f5d8ab810d6683ddc99201e
  5. Affected versionversion=5aa705039c4fca84575539bfa2b8a28454a3d2ca <c6e6354295845698d2fdfa20b71fc404786f7e93
  6. Affected versionversion=5aa705039c4fca84575539bfa2b8a28454a3d2ca <d1eda529a4bf6b866d02755723ee0eb1f037a5ed
  7. Affected versionversion=5aa705039c4fca84575539bfa2b8a28454a3d2ca <db58075bc9c2ad2731f9c063859b47104bc2e7ef

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorUnavailable in this record.
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=5.17; version=5aa705039c4fca84575539bfa2b8a28454a3d2ca <69ad6ce47f9bf2b9fe0ed69b042db993d33bbf12; version=5aa705039c4fca84575539bfa2b8a28454a3d2ca <6d92dbd73d19a0622f60352ce9d9379f7a760112; version=5aa705039c4fca84575539bfa2b8a28454a3d2ca <c66ed3e6371f5dba8f5d8ab810d6683ddc99201e; version=5aa705039c4fca84575539bfa2b8a28454a3d2ca <c6e6354295845698d2fdfa20b71fc404786f7e93; version=5aa705039c4fca84575539bfa2b8a28454a3d2ca <d1eda529a4bf6b866d02755723ee0eb1f037a5ed; version=5aa705039c4fca84575539bfa2b8a28454a3d2ca <db58075bc9c2ad2731f9c063859b47104bc2e7ef

Published CVSS scores

No CVSS assessment is available in this record.

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
VectorUnavailable
PrivilegesUnavailable
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

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo