CVE-2026-72426: Linux kernel · bpf: Preserve pointer spill metadata during half-slot cleanup
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.4 High.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 7% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 17 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 has been implemented in the Linux kernel to preserve pointer spill metadata during half-slot cleanup in the BPF verifier. Users should apply the official kernel updates that include this patch. Since this is a kernel vulnerability, updating to the fixed kernel version is the recommended remediation. Patch status is not explicitly confirmed in the provided data; therefore, check the vendor or Linux kernel advisory for the exact fixed versions and update accordingly.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Preserve pointer spill metadata during half-slot cleanup __clean_func_state() cleans dead stack slots in 4-byte halves. When the high half of a STACK_SPILL slot is dead and the low half remains live, cleanup converts the live low half to STACK_MISC or STACK_ZERO and clears the saved spilled_ptr metadata. That conversion is safe only for scalar spills. For a pointer spill, this metadata clear lets a later 32-bit fill from the still-live half avoid the normal non-scalar register-fill check and be treated as an ordinary scalar stack read. Leave non-scalar spill slots intact in this half-live shape. This is conservative for pruning and preserves the existing check_stack_read_fixed_off() rejection path for partial fills from pointer spills.
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72426 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/0f9278b22cda6fd2525049930157b79b4036b4ef (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/3a354149bceacadbcf7d7b4766f5ef26a85892ab (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-72426 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72426 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/linus/3a354149bceacadbcf7d7b4766f5ef26a85892ab (opens in a new tab)