CVE-2026-72439

Local denial of service via leaked write references

Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026

Improper reference counting in the Linux kernel md/raid10 component allows local users to cause a system hang or crash through failed writes. raid10_write_request() completes failed bios without reaching md_write_end(), leaving each writes_pending reference unreleased. Exploitation requires low-privileged local access and an active RAID10 array; repeated qualifying failures exhaust resources and interrupt service.

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

What happened

Improper reference counting in the Linux kernel md/raid10 component allows local users to cause a system hang or crash through failed writes. raid10_write_request() completes failed bios without reaching md_write_end(), leaving each writes_pending reference unreleased. Exploitation requires low-privileged local access and an active RAID10 array; repeated qualifying failures exhaust resources and interrupt service.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-72439
Published
Aug 15, 2026
Updated
Aug 15, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-911, 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

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=39db562b3fedb93978a7e42dd216b306740959f8
  2. Affected versionversion=5.15.111 <5.16
  3. Affected versionversion=5.17
  4. Affected versionversion=c9aa889b035fca4598ae985a0f0c76ebbb547ad2 <e045d6ed33f8faa3e3dd6dc33c62ec01e3ad275d
  5. Affected versionversion=c9aa889b035fca4598ae985a0f0c76ebbb547ad2 <f94031c94eaebe14a7c9e91720064de0c5a54a6c

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=39db562b3fedb93978a7e42dd216b306740959f8; version=5.15.111 <5.16; version=5.17; version=c9aa889b035fca4598ae985a0f0c76ebbb547ad2 <e045d6ed33f8faa3e3dd6dc33c62ec01e3ad275d; version=c9aa889b035fca4598ae985a0f0c76ebbb547ad2 <f94031c94eaebe14a7c9e91720064de0c5a54a6c

Published CVSS scores

5.5Red HatCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
3.3SUSECVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

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-911Improper Update of Reference Count
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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