VulnerabilityPublished 15 Aug 2026Updated 9 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-72048: Linux kernel · ieee802154: ca8210: fix cas_ctl leak on spi_async failure

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

Not known to be exploited · fixed in 5.15.0-1117.124~20.04.1 : 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 12% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 5.15.0-1117.124~20.04.1, 5.15.0-1123.132~20.04.1, 5.15.0-1122.131~20.04.1 +41

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.

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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

A patch is available that fixes the memory leak by freeing the cas_ctl structure on spi_async() failure. Users should apply the official Linux kernel updates for the affected linux-azure versions to remediate this issue.

Description

A memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ieee802154 ca8210 driver was fixed. The issue occurs when spi_async() fails to submit a SPI message, causing allocated memory (cas_ctl) to be orphaned and leaked. This leak happens under sustained SPI bus contention, potentially leading to resource exhaustion. The fix ensures that cas_ctl is freed on spi_async() failure. This vulnerability affects specific linux-azure kernel versions and has been patched.

Impact

The vulnerability causes a memory leak of approximately 600 bytes per occurrence during SPI bus contention, which could lead to resource exhaustion and potential denial of service conditions. There is no indication of code execution or privilege escalation. No known exploits in the wild have been reported.

Summary

The Linux kernel's ieee802154 ca8210 driver allocates a cas_ctl structure with kzalloc_obj(GFP_ATOMIC) during SPI transfers and relies on the spi_async() completion callback to free it. However, spi_async() only invokes the completion callback on successful submission. On failure, spi_async() returns a negative error code without queuing the callback, leaving cas_ctl and its embedded spi_message and spi_transfer orphaned. Since all kfree(cas_ctl) calls are inside the completion callback, no other reclamation path exists, causing a memory leak under sustained SPI bus contention. The vulnerability is fixed by freeing cas_ctl on the spi_async() error path and correcting an error string to reflect the actual function called.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 25 Oct 2026, 06:23 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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