CVE-2026-72173

Received Received - Intake

Memory Corruption Fix in Linux Kernel PMD Handling

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: fs/proc/task_mmu: do not warn on seeing non-migration pmd entry Patch series "mm/hmm: A fix and a selftest", v3. Patch 1 fixes a stale warning present from the time when only migration softleaf entries were supported at the PMD level. Patch 2 adds some code into hmm-tests.c which exercises the pagemap path for PMD device-private entries. This patch (of 2): pagemap_pmd_range_thp() warns if a non-present PMD is not a migration entry. This became false once device-private entries at the PMD level were added. Therefore, remove the stale migration-only assertion.

CVSS 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-2026-72173

EUVD

EUVD-2026-58931

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
linux	linux_kernel	*

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves a stale warning in the fs/proc/task_mmu component. The warning incorrectly flagged non-migration PMD entries as problematic, but this became invalid after device-private entries were introduced at the PMD level. The fix removes this outdated assertion.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's memory management and does not have direct network-based detection methods. It involves a stale warning in the pagemap_pmd_range_thp function related to PMD entries. Monitoring kernel logs for warnings about non-migration PMD entries may help detect related issues.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability likely has minimal direct impact on end users. It primarily affects kernel developers and systems administrators by resolving a false warning in memory management code. No known exploits or security risks are associated with this issue.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability does not directly affect compliance with standards like GDPR or HIPAA as it pertains to a low-level kernel memory management issue without clear implications for data protection or privacy.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest kernel patches provided by your Linux distribution to resolve the stale warning in fs/proc/task_mmu.c. Ensure your system is updated to a version that includes the fix from the mm/hmm patch series.

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