What is CVE-2026-72412?

CVE-2026-72412 is a Critical severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 9.3 out of 10, affecting Linux kernel versions from 7.0 onward and patched in 7.1.5 and 7.2. CVE-2026-72412 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-72412?

CVE-2026-72412 has a CVSS score of 9.3 out of 10, rated Critical severity. The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-72412?

Yes, CVE-2026-72412 has been patched. Fixed versions include 7.1.5 and 7.2. If you are running Linux kernel 7.0 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

Is CVE-2026-72412 actively exploited?

CVE-2026-72412 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

CVE-2026-72412

Critical

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: s390/mm: Fix handling of _PAGE_UNUSED pte bit The _PAGE_UNUSED softbit should not really be lying around. Its sole purpose is to signal to try_to_unmap_one() and try_to_migrate_one() that the page can be discarded instead of being moved / swapped. KVM has no way to know why a page is being unmapped, so it sets the bit on userspace ptes corresponding to unused guest pages every time they get unmapped. KVM has no reasonable way to clear the bit once the page is in use again. While set_ptes() checks and clears the bit, other paths that set new ptes did not. This led to used pages being thrown out as if they were unused, causing guest corruption. Fix the issue by clearing the _PAGE_UNUSED bit for present ptes in set_pte(), i.e. whenever a present pte is getting set. The check in set_ptes() is then redundant and can be removed. Also fix gmap_helper_try_set_pte_unused() to only set the bit if the pte is present; the _PAGE_UNUSED bit is only defined for present ptes and thus should not be set for non-present ptes.

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2026-08-15

Last modified 2026-08-17

CVSS version 3.1

Patch available

Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

9.3

out of 10

Critical

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Vector string

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 7.0 and later are affected. Fixed in 7.1.5, 7.2 and their respective stable series.

Affected from

≥ 7.0

Fixed in

✓ 7.1.5 7.1.x ✓ 7.2

References

2 total

Details

CVE ID CVE-2026-72412

Severity Critical

CVSS score 9.3 / 10

CVSS version 3.1

Published 2026-08-15

Modified 2026-08-17

KEV No

Patch

Yes

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-72412?

CVE-2026-72412 is a Critical severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 9.3 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 7.0 onward and has been patched in 7.1.5 and 7.2. CVE-2026-72412 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-72412?

CVE-2026-72412 has a CVSS score of 9.3 out of 10, rated Critical severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-72412?

Yes. CVE-2026-72412 has been patched. Fixed versions include 7.1.5 and 7.2. If you are running Linux kernel 7.0 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
Is CVE-2026-72412 actively exploited?

No. CVE-2026-72412 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.