VulnerabilityPublished 15 Aug 2026Updated 6 Nov 2026

CVE-2026-72040: Linux kernel · ipmi: fix refcount leak in i_ipmi_request()

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · fixed in f5c5065963024390ddad51bd455d1adc710de575 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 6 Nov 2026, 17:19 UTC

Severity

Unrated

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

Exploitation: No evidence of active exploitation and no public proof of concept
Automatable: Attackers cannot reliably automate steps 1–4 of the kill chain
Technical impact: Limited control over the software or limited information exposure

CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-11-06.

Patch

Available – fixed in f5c5065963024390ddad51bd455d1adc710de575, e2a3b77df6aef031455dd83ea8ed4344b7dca1f9, a3f3859cecacb64f18fd446271ece9a3b3f2d4de +7

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 15 Aug 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 6 Nov 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected >=6.1.157 <6.1.184 >=6.6.113 <6.6.148 >=6.12.54 <6.12.101 >=6.17.4 <6.18	Fixed in f5c5065963024390ddad51bd455d1adc710de575 e2a3b77df6aef031455dd83ea8ed4344b7dca1f9 a3f3859cecacb64f18fd446271ece9a3b3f2d4de 9409e18ffe7378d202efe1cf69989df9f67b0369 122ca6b2af714e114c9b872a48372ace31a9ab1f 6.18 6.12.101 6.6.148 6.1.184 0fd23994ec8c5436d9f0b50848deb87ed933e6b3
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.18	Fixed in–

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipmi: fix refcount leak in i_ipmi_request() When a caller provides a `supplied_recv` message to i_ipmi_request(), the function increments the user's `nr_msgs` reference count. If an error occurs later, the out_err cleanup path only frees the recv_msg if the function allocated it itself (i.e., !supplied_recv). In the supplied_recv case the cleanup is skipped, leaving the reference count elevated. The caller ipmi_request_supply_msgs() does not release the supplied_recv on error, so the reference is permanently leaked. Fix this by explicitly reverting the reference count operations when a supplied recv_msg with a valid user pointer is present in the error path: decrement nr_msgs and drop the user's kref.

References

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