CVE-2026-72023
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: octeontx2-pf: fix SQB pointer leak on init failure otx2_init_hw_resources() initializes SQ aura and pool resources before several later setup steps. On failure, err_free_sq_ptrs only frees SQB pages, leaving the per-SQ sqb_ptrs arrays behind. Use otx2_free_sq_res() for the SQ unwind path and let it free sqb_ptrs even when sq->sqe has not been allocated yet. The bug was first flagged by an experimental analysis tool we are developing for kernel memory-management bugs while analyzing v6.13-rc1. The tool is still under development and is not yet publicly available. Manual inspection confirms that the bug is still present in v7.1.1. An x86_64 allyesconfig build showed no new warnings. As we do not have an OcteonTX2 PF device and the corresponding AF mailbox setup to test with, no runtime testing was able to be performed.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
5.6
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.6.148,
6.12.101,
6.18.40,
7.1.5,
7.2-rc3
and their respective stable series.
References
5 totalFrequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-72023?
CVE-2026-72023 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.6 onward and has been patched in 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18.40 and others. CVE-2026-72023 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
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Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-72023?
Yes. CVE-2026-72023 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18.40 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.6 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-72023 actively exploited?
No. CVE-2026-72023 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.