CVE-2026-72179
Received Received - Intake

Reference Leak in Linux Kernel cacheinfo

Publication date: 2026-08-15

Last updated on: 2026-08-15

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: riscv: cacheinfo: Fix node reference leak in populate_cache_leaves Currently, the while loop drops the reference to prev in each iteration. If the loop terminates early due to a break, the final of_node_put(np) correctly drops the reference to the current node. However, if the loop terminates naturally because np == NULL, calling of_node_put(np) is a no-op. This leaves the last valid node stored in prev without its reference dropped, resulting in a node reference leak. Fix this by changing the final `of_node_put(np)` to `of_node_put(prev)`.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-15
Last Modified
2026-08-15
Generated
2026-08-15
AI Q&A
2026-08-15
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-72179
EUVD
EUVD-2026-58937

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel *

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Exploitability

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This is a Linux kernel vulnerability where a reference leak occurs in the cacheinfo subsystem. The issue happens in the populate_cache_leaves function when handling RISC-V systems. The loop drops references to nodes incorrectly, leaving a node reference unaccounted for if the loop ends naturally. This causes a memory leak where a node's reference count remains elevated.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's RISC-V cacheinfo implementation and does not have network-based detection methods. To detect it, check if your kernel version includes the fix for the node reference leak in populate_cache_leaves. Use uname -r to check the kernel version and verify if it is patched.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability may lead to resource exhaustion over time as leaked node references accumulate. It could cause system instability or crashes due to excessive memory usage. Systems running affected Linux kernel versions may experience performance degradation or unexpected behavior.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest kernel update that includes the fix for CVE-2026-72179. If a patch is not yet available, monitor your system for memory leaks related to node references in the RISC-V cacheinfo subsystem. Restart affected systems after applying the update.

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