CVE-2026-72469

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xprtrdma: Fix ep kref imbalance on ADDR_CHANGE rpcrdma_cm_event_handler() falls through to the disconnected: label on RDMA_CM_EVENT_ADDR_CHANGE and calls rpcrdma_ep_put() with no matching get when the event arrives before RDMA_CM_EVENT_ESTABLISHED. The kref then underflows during connect teardown and rpcrdma_xprt_disconnect() operates on a freed ep. Reference counts across a normal connection lifecycle: rpcrdma_ep_create() kref_init ->1 rpcrdma_xprt_connect() ep_get ->2 (before post_recvs) RDMA_CM_EVENT_ESTABLISHED ep_get ->3 RDMA_CM_EVENT_DISCONNECTED ep_put ->2 rpcrdma_xprt_drain() ep_put ->1 rpcrdma_xprt_disconnect() tail ep_put ->0 (ep_destroy) The connect-time get in rpcrdma_xprt_connect(), taken just before rpcrdma_post_recvs() "while there are outstanding Receives," is balanced by rpcrdma_xprt_drain. ADDR_CHANGE before ESTABLISHED has no get to consume, so its put drops the count to 1 and the drain put then frees the ep while rpcrdma_xprt_disconnect() still holds a pointer to it. Fix by dispatching on the prior re_connect_status via xchg(): for prev == 0 (pre-ESTABLISHED) wake the connect waiter and return with no put; for prev == 1 call rpcrdma_force_disconnect() and return. The case-1 arm relies on the subsequent RDMA_CM_EVENT_DISCONNECTED event -- reliably delivered when rdma_disconnect() is called on a still-connected cm_id -- to balance the ESTABLISHED get; rpcrdma_xprt_drain() continues to balance only that connect-time get. Any other prior value means teardown is already in flight.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-08-15
Last modified 2026-08-15
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 5.7.9, 5.8 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2-rc1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 5.7.9 ≥ 5.8
Fixed in
✓ 6.12.97 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.40 6.18.x ✓ 7.1.5 7.1.x ✓ 7.2-rc1

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-72469?

    CVE-2026-72469 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.7.9 onward and has been patched in 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5 and others. CVE-2026-72469 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-72469?

    Yes. CVE-2026-72469 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.7.9 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-72469 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-72469 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.