CVE-2026-72172
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/mm_init: fix uninitialized struct pages for ZONE_DEVICE If DAX memory is hotplugged into an unoccupied subsection of an early section, section_activate() reuses the unoptimized boot memmap. However, compound_nr_pages() still assumes that vmemmap optimization is in effect and initializes only the reduced number of struct pages. As a result, the remaining tail struct pages are left uninitialized, which can later lead to unexpected behavior or crashes. Fix this by treating early sections as unoptimized when calculating how many struct pages to initialize.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
5.19
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.6.145,
6.12.97,
6.18.40,
7.1.5,
7.2-rc1
and their respective stable series.
References
5 totalFrequently asked questions
-
What is CVE-2026-72172?
CVE-2026-72172 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.19 onward and has been patched in 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40 and others. CVE-2026-72172 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
-
Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-72172?
Yes. CVE-2026-72172 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.19 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
-
Is CVE-2026-72172 actively exploited?
No. CVE-2026-72172 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.