CVE-2026-72073
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mmc: vub300: fix use-after-free on probe failure The vub300 driver lifetime-manages its controller state using vub300->kref, with vub300_delete() freeing the mmc host when the last reference is dropped. The probe error path after the inactivity timer has been armed still bypasses that lifetime rule, however, and falls through to mmc_free_host() directly if mmc_add_host() fails. The race window is between arming the inactivity timer and reaching the probe error unwind after mmc_add_host() fails: probe thread timer/workqueue ------------ --------------- kref_init(&vub300->kref) ref = 1 kref_get(&vub300->kref) ref = 2, timer ref add_timer(inactivity_timer) fires after one second | | race window |<----------------------------------------------------> | mmc_add_host(mmc) inactivity timer fires vub300_queue_dead_work() kref_get() ref = 3 queue_work(deadwork) mmc_add_host() fails timer_delete_sync() mmc_free_host(mmc) frees vub300 deadwork runs use-after-free The inactivity timeout is one second, so this would require mmc_add_host() to both fail and take more than one second to do so. This is unlikely to happen in practice, but the error path is still wrong. timer_delete_sync() only waits for the timer callback itself. It does not flush deadwork that the callback may already have queued. As a result, queued deadwork can still hold a kref while the probe error path directly frees the backing mmc host, including the vub300 storage. Fix this by using the same lifetime mechanism as disconnect. Clear vub300->interface so that the timer callback and any queued deadwork return early and drop their references, then drop the initial probe reference and return without falling through to err_free_host.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
4.9.337,
4.14.303,
4.19.270,
5.4.229,
5.10.163,
5.15.86,
6.0.16,
6.1.2,
6.2
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.18.42,
7.1.5,
7.2-rc4
and their respective stable series.
References
3 totalFrequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-72073?
CVE-2026-72073 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.9.337 onward and has been patched in 6.18.42, 7.1.5 and 7.2-rc4. CVE-2026-72073 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-2026-72073?
Yes. CVE-2026-72073 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.18.42, 7.1.5 and 7.2-rc4. If you are running Linux kernel 4.9.337 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-72073 actively exploited?
No. CVE-2026-72073 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.