VulnerabilityPublished 15 Aug 2026Updated 9 Oct 2026

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

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

Not known to be exploited · fixed in 7.0.0-1014.14~24.04.1 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 10% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 7.0.0-1014.14~24.04.1, 7.0.0-1017.17~24.04.1, 7.0.0-1016.16~24.04.1 +11

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 15 Aug 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: 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 26 Oct 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.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, 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.

ghsa-j63g-h4gq-q67f

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected <7.0.0-38.38	Fixed in 7.0.0-38.38
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-aws`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected <7.0.0-1014.14	Fixed in 7.0.0-1014.14
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected <7.0.0-1017.17	Fixed in 7.0.0-1017.17
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fde`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected <7.0.0-1016.16	Fixed in 7.0.0-1016.16
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcp`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected <7.0.0-1014.14	Fixed in 7.0.0-1014.14
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gke`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resolute`Other threats	Affected <7.0.0-1008.9	Fixed in 7.0.0-1008.9

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

An official patch is available that fixes the reference count leak in the i_ipmi_request() function. Users should apply the updated linux-hwe-edge kernel versions that include this fix. No additional mitigation actions are required beyond applying the patch.

Description

A reference count leak vulnerability was identified and fixed in the Linux kernel's IPMI subsystem in the function i_ipmi_request(). The issue occurs when a caller provides a supplied_recv message, leading to an incremented reference count that is not properly decremented on error, causing a permanent leak. This flaw affects specific versions of the linux-hwe-edge kernel. The vulnerability has been addressed with an official patch that corrects the reference count handling in error paths.

Impact

The vulnerability causes a reference count leak in the IPMI subsystem, which could lead to resource exhaustion or instability in the kernel over time. There is no indication of direct code execution or privilege escalation from this flaw. No known exploits in the wild have been reported. The impact is considered medium severity.

Summary

The Linux kernel's IPMI subsystem had a reference count leak in the i_ipmi_request() function. When a supplied_recv message is provided by the caller, the function increments the user's nr_msgs reference count. If an error occurs later, the cleanup path only frees the recv_msg if it was allocated internally, skipping cleanup for supplied_recv messages. The caller ipmi_request_supply_msgs() does not release the supplied_recv on error, resulting in a permanent reference count leak. The fix explicitly reverts the reference count operations in the error path by decrementing nr_msgs and dropping the user's kref when a supplied recv_msg with a valid user pointer is present.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 25 Oct 2026, 06:35 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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