CVE-2026-72281: Linux kernel · KVM: arm64: account pKVM reclaim against the VM mm
Source GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC
Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 9% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
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.
What to do
AI-suggested
A fix for this vulnerability has been applied in the Linux kernel. Users should update to the latest kernel version containing this patch to ensure proper memory accounting in KVM arm64. Since no cloud service is involved and no vendor advisory is provided, check the official Linux kernel release notes or security advisories for the exact fixed versions and update accordingly.
Description
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's KVM subsystem for arm64 architecture was resolved. The issue involved improper accounting of pKVM reclaim operations against the VM's memory management (mm) structure. Protected guest faults caused long-term pins to the VM's mm, and during teardown, the current process's mm could be unrelated, leading to incorrect charge handling. The fix involved dropping the charge from kvm->mm instead to properly manage memory accounting.