CVE-2026-74728

Kernel crash via NULL buffer-address dereference

Published Aug 22, 2026 · Updated Aug 22, 2026

NULL pointer dereference in Linux XFS from 6.9 allows local users to crash the kernel through an XFS buffer-allocation failure. When xfs_buf_alloc_backing_mem() fails, xfs_buf_free() passes a NULL bp->b_addr into virt_to_folio() through the folio_put() path instead of skipping that release. Exploitation requires low-privileged local access and an XFS repair operation that reaches the backing-memory failure; the bounded impact is a kernel crash.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.17%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

NULL pointer dereference in Linux XFS from 6.9 allows local users to crash the kernel through an XFS buffer-allocation failure. When xfs_buf_alloc_backing_mem() fails, xfs_buf_free() passes a NULL bp->b_addr into virt_to_folio() through the folio_put() path instead of skipping that release. Exploitation requires low-privileged local access and an XFS repair operation that reaches the backing-memory failure; the bounded impact is a kernel crash.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-74728
Published
Aug 22, 2026
Updated
Aug 22, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-476, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 22, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 22, 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=5076a6040ca1613e616d84aecfaac5f932db84e0 <3aa0c1d23ee1b9d9b340fb2f4736536e1408d706
  2. Affected versionversion=5076a6040ca1613e616d84aecfaac5f932db84e0 <ccf6738adcafa5ddbddc4e71b45d8a51b86643c7
  3. Affected versionversion=5076a6040ca1613e616d84aecfaac5f932db84e0 <d852729c5f4f830fbe7413df032e29459b3daf83
  4. Affected versionversion=6.9

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=5076a6040ca1613e616d84aecfaac5f932db84e0 <3aa0c1d23ee1b9d9b340fb2f4736536e1408d706; version=5076a6040ca1613e616d84aecfaac5f932db84e0 <ccf6738adcafa5ddbddc4e71b45d8a51b86643c7; version=5076a6040ca1613e616d84aecfaac5f932db84e0 <d852729c5f4f830fbe7413df032e29459b3daf83; version=6.9

Published CVSS scores

5.5Red HatCVSS: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 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-476NULL Pointer Dereference
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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