CVE-2026-72481: Linux kernel · iio: magnetometer: ak8975: fix potential kernel stack memory leak
Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · fixed in fb27ebf81136e796c7b719303ef6fd7e1ae5d488 : update Linux kernel when convenient.
Data as of 6 Nov 2026, 18:11 UTC
Rated Medium by Threat Radar's AI analysis · CVSS not yet scored by NVD
Thin evidence
One scorer or none- CISA SSVC
- 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 fb27ebf81136e796c7b719303ef6fd7e1ae5d488, b974566803bceb72f0b9b5f1d7270b79ba963766, a9cf46054f81972f8c0f1dc2a79d2a141999dbce +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.
What to do
Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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AI-suggested
A fix is available and has been applied in specific Linux kernel commits. Users should update to a Linux kernel version that includes these fixes to remediate the vulnerability.
Description
CVE-2026-72481 addresses a potential kernel stack memory leak in the Linux kernel's AK8975 magnetometer driver. The issue arises when the i2c_smbus_read_i2c_block_data_or_emulated() function returns fewer bytes than expected, leaving uninitialized bytes in the buffer that may be exposed to userspace. The vulnerability has been fixed by adding checks to ensure the function's return value matches the buffer size and properly handling error codes.
References
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/12848f4ded022963944c063e09a192549a4dad1e (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/a9cf46054f81972f8c0f1dc2a79d2a141999dbce (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/9f920550abacedc7fc3163dea65ac2a7d0b0765d (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/8cf346074533356d67a6a6a43a192328ad341f11 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/b974566803bceb72f0b9b5f1d7270b79ba963766 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/3d57672119525c59ed73ea21accb001ccbcd6cfd (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/fb27ebf81136e796c7b719303ef6fd7e1ae5d488 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/a9a00d727b7bbc5e913a919530a9dd468935bf95 (opens in a new tab)