CVE-2026-72040
Vulnerability Scoring
Status: Received on 15 Aug 2026, 06:21 UTC
Last updated: 🕐 23 Aug 2026, 13:16 UTC
Originally published on: 🕕 15 Aug 2026, 06:21 UTC
Time between publication and last update: 8 days
CVSS Release:
CVE-2026-72040: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipmi: fix refcount leak in i_ipmi_request() When a caller provides a `supplied_recv` message to i_ipmi_request(), the function increments the user's `nr_msgs` reference count. If an error occurs later, the out_err cleanup path only frees the recv_msg if the function allocated it itself (i.e., !supplied_recv). In the supplied_recv case the cleanup is skipped, leaving the reference count elevated. The caller ipmi_request_supply_msgs() does not release the supplied_recv on error, so the reference is permanently leaked. Fix this by explicitly reverting the reference count operations when a supplied recv_msg with a valid user pointer is present in the error path: decrement nr_msgs and drop the user's kref.
The exploitability of CVE-2026-72040 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
No exploitability data is available for CVE-2026-72040.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2026-72040, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2026-72040, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
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