CVE-2026-72212
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/memory_hotplug: fix incorrect altmap passing in error path In create_altmaps_and_memory_blocks(), when arch_add_memory() succeeds with memmap_on_memory enabled, the vmemmap pages are allocated from params.altmap. If create_memory_block_devices() subsequently fails, the error path calls arch_remove_memory() with a NULL altmap instead of params.altmap. This is a bug that could lead to memory corruption. Since altmap is NULL, vmemmap_free() falls back to freeing the vmemmap pages into the system buddy allocator via free_pages() instead of the altmap. arch_remove_memory() then immediately destroys the physical linear mapping for this memory. This injects unowned pages into the buddy allocator, causing machine checks or memory corruption if the system later attempts to allocate and use those freed pages. Fix this by passing params.altmap to arch_remove_memory() in the error path.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
6.8
and later are affected. Fixed in
6.12.97,
6.18.40,
7.1.5,
7.2-rc1
and their respective stable series.
References
4 totalFrequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-72212?
CVE-2026-72212 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.8 onward and has been patched in 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5 and others. CVE-2026-72212 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-2026-72212?
Yes. CVE-2026-72212 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 6.8 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-72212 actively exploited?
No. CVE-2026-72212 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.