CVE-2026-72098

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dm-verity: fix buffer overflow in FEC calculation There's a buffer overflow in dm-verity-fec: if (neras && *neras <= v->fec->roots) fio->erasures[(*neras)++] = i; This allows *neras to reach roots + 1 (the post-increment pushes it past roots). This value is then passed as no_eras to decode_rs8(). Inside the RS decoder (lib/reed_solomon/decode_rs.c:113-121), the erasure locator polynomial loop writes lambda[j] where j can reach nroots + 1 — one element past the end of lambda[] (which is sized nroots + 1, valid indices 0..nroots). The out-of-bounds write lands on syn[0], corrupting the syndrome buffer.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-08-15
Last modified 2026-08-15
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 4.5 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.18.42, 7.1.5, 7.2-rc3 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 4.5
Fixed in
✓ 6.18.42 6.18.x ✓ 7.1.5 7.1.x ✓ 7.2-rc3

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-72098?

    CVE-2026-72098 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.5 onward and has been patched in 6.18.42, 7.1.5 and 7.2-rc3. CVE-2026-72098 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-72098?

    Yes. CVE-2026-72098 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.18.42, 7.1.5 and 7.2-rc3. If you are running Linux kernel 4.5 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-72098 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-72098 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.