CVE-2026-72240
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mfd: sm501: Fix reference leak on failed device registration When platform_device_register() fails in sm501_register_device(), the embedded struct device in pdev has already been initialized by device_initialize(), but the failure path only reports the error and returns without dropping the device reference for the current platform device: sm501_register_device() -> platform_device_register(pdev) -> device_initialize(&pdev->dev) -> setup_pdev_dma_masks(pdev) -> platform_device_add(pdev) This leads to a reference leak when platform_device_register() fails. Fix this by calling platform_device_put() before returning the error. The issue was identified by a static analysis tool I developed and confirmed by manual review.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
2.6.21
and later are affected. Fixed in
5.10.261,
5.15.212,
6.1.178,
6.6.145,
6.12.97,
6.18.40,
7.1.5,
7.2-rc1
and their respective stable series.
References
8 totalFrequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-72240?
CVE-2026-72240 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 2.6.21 onward and has been patched in 5.10.261, 5.15.212, 6.1.178 and others. CVE-2026-72240 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-2026-72240?
Yes. CVE-2026-72240 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.261, 5.15.212, 6.1.178 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 2.6.21 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-72240 actively exploited?
No. CVE-2026-72240 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.