CVE-2026-72142

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: i2c: imx: fix locked bus on SMBus block-read of 0 (atomic) SMBus 3.1 6.5.7 allows a Block Read byte count of 0, but the atomic (polling) path rejects it as -EPROTO. Worse, it returns without a NACK+STOP: the next receive cycle has already started, so the target keeps holding SDA and the bus stays stuck until a power cycle for this i2c controller. Reading I2DR to obtain the count likewise arms the next byte on the count > I2C_SMBUS_BLOCK_MAX path, which also returned -EPROTO directly and left the bus held. Handle both: NACK the in-flight dummy byte (TXAK) and extend msgs->len so the existing last-byte handling emits STOP; the dummy byte is discarded. A count of 0 is a valid empty block read; a count above I2C_SMBUS_BLOCK_MAX is still reported as -EPROTO, but only after the bus has been released. The interrupt-driven path has the same flaw from a later commit and is fixed separately, as it carries a different Fixes: tag and stable range.

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

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 3.16 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2-rc4 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 3.16
Fixed in
✓ 6.6.148 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.101 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.40 6.18.x ✓ 7.1.5 7.1.x ✓ 7.2-rc4

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-72142?

    CVE-2026-72142 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 3.16 onward and has been patched in 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18.40 and others. CVE-2026-72142 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-72142?

    Yes. CVE-2026-72142 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18.40 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 3.16 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-72142 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-72142 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.