VulnerabilityPublished 15 Aug 2026Updated 6 Nov 2026

CVE-2026-72413: Linux kernel · sctp: fix err_chunk memory leaks in INIT handling

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · fixed in a8e6a839c0e7ca1da752faaab51e2eafb17483a4 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 6 Nov 2026, 17:04 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 a8e6a839c0e7ca1da752faaab51e2eafb17483a4, 94f55994e19e8f0676990b9d5015b58ab6a97e00, 43ddbcdc0ed74a8fba4aff5e623ace8135411b93 +3

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 ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < a8e6a839c0e7ca1da752faaab51e2eafb17483a4	Fixed in a8e6a839c0e7ca1da752faaab51e2eafb17483a4
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < 94f55994e19e8f0676990b9d5015b58ab6a97e00	Fixed in 94f55994e19e8f0676990b9d5015b58ab6a97e00
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < 43ddbcdc0ed74a8fba4aff5e623ace8135411b93	Fixed in 43ddbcdc0ed74a8fba4aff5e623ace8135411b93
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < 9f58a0a4d6c2ed5d341bba64f058f15d1b0c36f2	Fixed in 9f58a0a4d6c2ed5d341bba64f058f15d1b0c36f2
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < 6acedac7a14af71cfe25024ead28e16a070899e4	Fixed in 6acedac7a14af71cfe25024ead28e16a070899e4
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, < 1cae40d423a2042c7970f29c00028951ec20db8a	Fixed in 1cae40d423a2042c7970f29c00028951ec20db8a

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sctp: fix err_chunk memory leaks in INIT handling When sctp_verify_init() encounters unrecognized parameters, it allocates an err_chunk to report them. However, this chunk is leaked in several code paths: 1. In sctp_sf_do_5_1B_init(), if security_sctp_assoc_request() fails after sctp_verify_init() has populated err_chunk, the function returns immediately without freeing it. 2. In sctp_sf_do_unexpected_init(), the same leak occurs on the security_sctp_assoc_request() failure path. 3. In sctp_sf_do_unexpected_init(), on the success path after copying unrecognized parameters to the INIT-ACK, the function returns without freeing err_chunk, unlike sctp_sf_do_5_1B_init() which properly frees it. Fix all three leaks by adding sctp_chunk_free(err_chunk) calls before returning in the error paths and on the success path in sctp_sf_do_unexpected_init().

References

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