VulnerabilityPublished 15 Aug 2026Updated 6 Nov 2026

CVE-2026-72138: Linux kernel · xen/gntdev: fix error handling in ioctl

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Compare

Not known to be exploited · fixed in 6883269a323609f68f6faa903f8f8ff3d191cec8 : 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 6883269a323609f68f6faa903f8f8ff3d191cec8, 311011f8cc206c5af2877b03e3f627ee1b8fe024, 52dc40ef0cfee6ae89b7524967e73f0ba37906d7 +5

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 ≥ 68b025c813c2eb41ff25628e3d4952d5185eb1a4, < 6883269a323609f68f6faa903f8f8ff3d191cec8	Fixed in 6883269a323609f68f6faa903f8f8ff3d191cec8
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 68b025c813c2eb41ff25628e3d4952d5185eb1a4, < 311011f8cc206c5af2877b03e3f627ee1b8fe024	Fixed in 311011f8cc206c5af2877b03e3f627ee1b8fe024
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 68b025c813c2eb41ff25628e3d4952d5185eb1a4, < 52dc40ef0cfee6ae89b7524967e73f0ba37906d7	Fixed in 52dc40ef0cfee6ae89b7524967e73f0ba37906d7
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 68b025c813c2eb41ff25628e3d4952d5185eb1a4, < 45ca1afe2fd14c04e37227e79d3f8455831d8408	Fixed in 45ca1afe2fd14c04e37227e79d3f8455831d8408
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 68b025c813c2eb41ff25628e3d4952d5185eb1a4, < 18a693733f7ad004e1ab0466693121ca70cd95dd	Fixed in 18a693733f7ad004e1ab0466693121ca70cd95dd
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 68b025c813c2eb41ff25628e3d4952d5185eb1a4, < 16d3ccdabb8dee9be2cdcd6d3f9a125572ec0454	Fixed in 16d3ccdabb8dee9be2cdcd6d3f9a125572ec0454

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xen/gntdev: fix error handling in ioctl When gntdev_ioctl_map_grant_ref() fails to copy the operation result back to userspace after successfully adding the mapping to the list, the error path returns -EFAULT without releasing the reference acquired by gntdev_alloc_map(). The mapping remains in priv->maps with a refcount of 1, causing a memory leak and a dangling list entry. Additionally, gntdev_add_map() may modify map->index to avoid overlap with existing mappings. Therefore, the index returned to userspace must be obtained after gntdev_add_map() completes. Fix this by holding the mutex across gntdev_add_map(), retrieving the correct index, and copy_to_user(). If copy_to_user() fails, remove the mapping from the list and release the reference while still holding the lock. Fix these issues by properly handling all error cases.

References

Community reviews

Loading reviews…