CVE-2026-72135: Linux kernel · tpm: Make the TPM character devices non-seekable
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High · fixed in 5.15.0-1117.124~20.04.1 : patch Linux kernel soon.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% 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 +42
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation 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.
What to do
Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSlinux-gkepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
An official fix is available and should be applied. The fix removes seekable flags from TPM character devices, causing positional I/O operations with offsets to fail safely. Users should update to patched kernel versions as provided by their Linux distribution vendors. No additional mitigation is required beyond applying the official kernel updates.
Description
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's TPM character device interface allowed positional reads with large offsets to cause out-of-bounds heap reads and writes. This was due to the TPM device files being incorrectly marked as seekable, enabling pread and pwrite operations with arbitrary offsets that bypassed proper bounds checking. The issue was fixed by making TPM character devices non-seekable, causing positional I/O operations to fail early and preserving the sequential command/response semantics. The fix has been tested on Linux kernel 6.12 and related affected versions.
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72135 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/21a13f932972bc9836f58c44fcd47c62abdecd95 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/232dcf908eb7eb9d8046a9597975caf44270966e (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/947b773caaa548672184df025271b29bdc80b0f1 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/9c513dabd4540f811585a2087f23069767a284da (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/ada4b9a5087ea7f30dd8e4c6411a4fb6547eb1ed (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/dda695fab5e21f923d29e8cb01df256468ddfbd1 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed0ffc2c016629e40ba041ed0424a772d8b02e2c (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/f20d61c22bcaf172d6790b6500e3838e532e71c8 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-72135 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72135 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/linus/f20d61c22bcaf172d6790b6500e3838e532e71c8 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8876-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8878-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8879-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8877-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8875-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8888-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8889-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8887-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8886-1 (opens in a new tab)