CVE-2026-72179
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: riscv: cacheinfo: Fix node reference leak in populate_cache_leaves Currently, the while loop drops the reference to prev in each iteration. If the loop terminates early due to a break, the final of_node_put(np) correctly drops the reference to the current node. However, if the loop terminates naturally because np == NULL, calling of_node_put(np) is a no-op. This leaves the last valid node stored in prev without its reference dropped, resulting in a node reference leak. Fix this by changing the final `of_node_put(np)` to `of_node_put(prev)`.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
5.0
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.1.178,
6.6.145,
6.12.97,
6.18.40,
7.1.5,
7.2-rc1
and their respective stable series.
References
6 totalFrequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-72179?
CVE-2026-72179 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.0 onward and has been patched in 6.1.178, 6.6.145, 6.12.97 and others. CVE-2026-72179 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-2026-72179?
Yes. CVE-2026-72179 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.1.178, 6.6.145, 6.12.97 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.0 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-72179 actively exploited?
No. CVE-2026-72179 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.