VulnerabilityPublished 15 Aug 2026Updated 17 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-72179: Linux kernel · riscv: cacheinfo: Fix node reference leak in populate_cache_leaves

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

Not known to be exploited · fixed in 6.8.0-147.147 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

Severity

Low

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 11% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 6.8.0-147.147, 6.8.0-1067.70, 7.0.0-1014.14~24.04.1 +25

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-hgqm-wjmp-79vj

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 to fix this vulnerability. Users should apply the official Linux kernel updates that include the fix for CVE-2026-72179. No additional mitigation actions are required beyond updating to the patched kernel versions.

Description

A node reference leak vulnerability was identified and fixed in the Linux kernel's RISC-V cacheinfo subsystem. The issue occurs in the populate_cache_leaves function where a node reference is not properly released if a loop terminates naturally, causing a reference leak. This flaw has been resolved by correcting the reference release logic. The vulnerability affects specific Linux kernel versions and has a low severity rating. No known exploits are reported in the wild. A patch is available to address this issue.

Impact

The vulnerability results in a node reference leak in the Linux kernel's RISC-V cacheinfo subsystem, which could potentially lead to resource exhaustion or instability over time. However, the severity is rated as low, and there are no known exploits in the wild targeting this issue. The impact is limited to the affected kernel versions and does not indicate direct compromise or escalation.

Summary

The Linux kernel's RISC-V architecture cacheinfo subsystem contained a node reference leak in the populate_cache_leaves function. The while loop in this function drops the reference to the previous node in each iteration, but if the loop ends naturally (np == NULL), the final call to of_node_put(np) is a no-op, leaving the last valid node's reference unreleased. The fix changes the final call to of_node_put(prev) to properly release the last node's reference, preventing the leak. This vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2026-72179 and affects multiple specific Linux kernel versions.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 25 Oct 2026, 07:22 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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