CVE-2026-72475

Kernel memory exhaustion via incomplete descriptor cleanup

Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026

Memory leak in the AXI DMAC driver in Linux allows local users to exhaust kernel memory through invalid peripheral DMA vectors. In axi_dmac_prep_peripheral_dma_vec(), an address or length validation failure calls kfree() on the enclosing descriptor instead of axi_dmac_free_desc(), leaving its coherent DMA allocation unreleased. Reachability requires local access to a system using this driver and the ability to submit a peripheral DMA vector that fails validation; repeated failures can deplete memory and interrupt service.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.20%
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

Memory leak in the AXI DMAC driver in Linux allows local users to exhaust kernel memory through invalid peripheral DMA vectors. In axi_dmac_prep_peripheral_dma_vec(), an address or length validation failure calls kfree() on the enclosing descriptor instead of axi_dmac_free_desc(), leaving its coherent DMA allocation unreleased. Reachability requires local access to a system using this driver and the ability to submit a peripheral DMA vector that fails validation; repeated failures can deplete memory and interrupt service.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-72475
Published
Aug 15, 2026
Updated
Aug 15, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-401, T1499.004
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=6.11
  2. Affected versionversion=74609e5686701ed8e8adc3082d15f009e327286d <36e9cbbfc09ef792918e6a276dd7e2dbca7f31ce
  3. Affected versionversion=74609e5686701ed8e8adc3082d15f009e327286d <4910ce1b3b35687bb2a5e742c4bfbea3c647c980
  4. Affected versionversion=74609e5686701ed8e8adc3082d15f009e327286d <9f1ef67c041ef592c13603957ba08b6f21010004
  5. Affected versionversion=74609e5686701ed8e8adc3082d15f009e327286d <f055829151eed5a9ec4af98a6c1ce75dbaf2e372

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=6.11; version=74609e5686701ed8e8adc3082d15f009e327286d <36e9cbbfc09ef792918e6a276dd7e2dbca7f31ce; version=74609e5686701ed8e8adc3082d15f009e327286d <4910ce1b3b35687bb2a5e742c4bfbea3c647c980; version=74609e5686701ed8e8adc3082d15f009e327286d <9f1ef67c041ef592c13603957ba08b6f21010004; version=74609e5686701ed8e8adc3082d15f009e327286d <f055829151eed5a9ec4af98a6c1ce75dbaf2e372

Published CVSS scores

5.5SUSECVSS: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.

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

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-401Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
T1499.004Endpoint Denial of Service: Application or System Exploitation

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