CVE-2026-72377
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: afs: Remove setting of AS_RELEASE_ALWAYS for symlinks and mountpoints Regular AFS files correctly use afs_file_aops which have release_folio set as netfs_release_folio, so AS_RELEASE_ALWAYS is valid for them when fscache is enabled (set via afs_vnode_set_cache()). Symlinks and mountpoints in AFS use afs_dir_aops, which does not provide a release_folio callback. However, afs_apply_status() unconditionally calls mapping_set_release_always() for these. In such case when memory management code attempts to release folios, filemap_release_folio() checks folio_needs_release() which returns true due to AS_RELEASE_ALWAYS being set. Since there is no release_folio callback, it falls through to try_to_free_buffers(), which at present expects buffer_heads to be not null. For symlinks and mountpoints without buffer_heads, this causes pointer dereference. [dh: Added more bits that were missed]
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
6.14
and later are affected. Fixed in
7.1.5,
7.2-rc2
and their respective stable series.
References
2 totalFrequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-72377?
CVE-2026-72377 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.14 onward and has been patched in 7.1.5 and 7.2-rc2. CVE-2026-72377 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-2026-72377?
Yes. CVE-2026-72377 has been patched. Fixed versions include 7.1.5 and 7.2-rc2. If you are running Linux kernel 6.14 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-72377 actively exploited?
No. CVE-2026-72377 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.