CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-72102NVD status: Received

Linux: Double Free

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-72102 is a high-severity double free vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 3ba377a47a093cc19647ca7f102acd33a211d472, 72c3283a2abd60ecef295e02270f22ef1dfccd25, d6066145347e14db84c35b445e309f095d0d8125 as the first without the flaw, so updating Linux to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.17% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Linux to 3ba377a47a093cc19647ca7f102acd33a211d472 or 72c3283a2abd60ecef295e02270f22ef1dfccd25 or d6066145347e14db84c35b445e309f095d0d8125 or 259ce9e3fc3a3f8c4e393a2072b8f34302eb4d5a, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinux6bbc923dfcf57d6b97388819a7393835664c7a8e up to, but not including, 3ba377a47a093cc19647ca7f102acd33a211d472; 6bbc923dfcf57d6b97388819a7393835664c7a8e up to, but not including, 72c3283a2abd60ecef295e02270f22ef1dfccd25; 6bbc923dfcf57d6b97388819a7393835664c7a8e up to, but not including, d6066145347e14db84c35b445e309f095d0d8125; 6bbc923dfcf57d6b97388819a7393835664c7a8e up to, but not including, 259ce9e3fc3a3f8c4e393a2072b8f34302eb4d5a; 6bbc923dfcf57d6b97388819a7393835664c7a8e up to, but not including, 5f6500d44a912d4aed664600966706d76b81d9af; 6bbc923dfcf57d6b97388819a7393835664c7a8e up to, but not including, 92e3c93d60be1f2425738cd66dbadac7d6bc0cd1; 6bbc923dfcf57d6b97388819a7393835664c7a8e up to, but not including, 7d8ed7cb844df21e4d93af11250fb3a5cb861147; 6bbc923dfcf57d6b97388819a7393835664c7a8e up to, but not including, 366665416f20527ff7cad548a32d1ddf23195740; and 1 more ranges3ba377a47a093cc19647ca7f102acd33a211d472, 72c3283a2abd60ecef295e02270f22ef1dfccd25, d6066145347e14db84c35b445e309f095d0d8125, 259ce9e3fc3a3f8c4e393a2072b8f34302eb4d5a, 5f6500d44a912d4aed664600966706d76b81d9af, 92e3c93d60be1f2425738cd66dbadac7d6bc0cd1

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA.

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dm_early_create: fix freeing used table on dm_resume failure If dm_resume fails, the kernel attempts to free table with dm_table_destroy, but the table was already instantiated with dm_swap_table. This commit skips the call to dm_table_destroy in this case.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Double Free

The product calls free() twice on the same memory address.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.
  • Ensure that each allocation is freed only once. After freeing a chunk, set the pointer to NULL to ensure the pointer cannot be freed again. In complicated error conditions, be sure that clean-up routines respect the state of allocation properly. If the language is object oriented, ensure that object destructors delete each chunk of memory only once.
  • Use a static analysis tool to find double free instances.

More Double Free vulnerabilities (CWE-415)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Double Free vulnerabilities

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