CVE-2026-72048

Received Received - Intake

Memory Leak in Linux Kernel IEEE 802.154 CA8210 Driver

Publication date: 2026-08-15

Last updated on: 2026-08-17

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ieee802154: ca8210: fix cas_ctl leak on spi_async failure ca8210_spi_transfer() allocates cas_ctl with kzalloc_obj(GFP_ATOMIC) and relies entirely on the SPI completion callback ca8210_spi_transfer_complete() to free it. The spi_async() API only invokes the completion callback on successful submission. On failure it returns a negative error code without ever queuing the callback, which leaves cas_ctl and its embedded spi_message and spi_transfer orphaned. Every kfree(cas_ctl) in the driver is inside the completion callback, so there is no other reclamation path. ca8210_spi_transfer() is called from ca8210_spi_exchange(), the interrupt handler ca8210_interrupt_handler(), and from the retry path inside the completion callback itself. The exchange and interrupt handler paths loop on -EBUSY, so under sustained SPI bus contention every retry iteration leaks a fresh cas_ctl (~600 bytes per occurrence). Fix it by freeing cas_ctl on the spi_async() error path. While here, correct the misleading error string: the function calls spi_async(), not spi_sync().

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-08-15

Last Modified

2026-08-17

Generated

2026-09-04

AI Q&A

2026-08-15

EPSS Evaluated

2026-09-03

NVD

CVE-2026-72048

EUVD

EUVD-2026-59006

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
ieee802154	ca8210	*

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves a memory leak in the ieee802154 ca8210 driver. When the ca8210_spi_transfer() function fails to submit an SPI transfer via spi_async(), it returns an error without freeing allocated memory (cas_ctl). This causes a leak of approximately 600 bytes per failure, which can accumulate under sustained SPI bus contention.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's ieee802154 ca8210 driver and involves memory leaks during SPI transfer failures. Detection requires checking for memory leaks in the ca8210 driver or monitoring SPI bus errors. No direct network detection commands are applicable.

Impact Analysis

The vulnerability can lead to memory exhaustion on systems using the affected ieee802154 ca8210 driver. This may cause system instability, crashes, or degraded performance due to gradual memory depletion from repeated leaks during SPI bus contention.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability does not directly affect compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or similar standards. It is a memory leak in the Linux kernel's ieee802154 ca8210 driver due to improper handling of SPI transfer failures, which could lead to resource exhaustion but does not involve data breaches or privacy violations.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the kernel patch that fixes the cas_ctl leak in the ca8210 driver. Update to a Linux kernel version that includes the fix. Monitor SPI bus errors and memory usage for signs of the leak.

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