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CVE-2026-72172

7.8 · HIGH

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/mm_init: fix uninitialized struct pages for ZONE_DEVICE If DAX memory is hotplugged into an unoccupied subsection of an earl…

Published Aug 15, 2026EPSS 0.17%

Overview

CVE-2026-72172 is a high-severity vulnerability. It was published on August 15, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

Technical description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

mm/mm_init: fix uninitialized struct pages for ZONE_DEVICE

If DAX memory is hotplugged into an unoccupied subsection of an early

section, section_activate() reuses the unoptimized boot memmap. However,

compound_nr_pages() still assumes that vmemmap optimization is in effect

and initializes only the reduced number of struct pages. As a result, the

remaining tail struct pages are left uninitialized, which can later lead

to unexpected behavior or crashes.

Fix this by treating early sections as unoptimized when calculating how

many struct pages to initialize.

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

References

Refgit.kernel.org/stable/c/11f2826e9ee6f24aaa774e3dcd75abbe4b3091b6Refgit.kernel.org/stable/c/511a60e71aec308b24722cffc1912bf6befb87bfRefgit.kernel.org/stable/c/b91e27bce37cab9f35de0059278ebe457ca9878bRefgit.kernel.org/stable/c/c5ef574d57e4a701485c13f26822328c91f05413Refgit.kernel.org/stable/c/cd681403a87085562499d60325b7b45d3be11217Refgit.kernel.org/stable/c/da5234df0941665f3a3f5b80f3dab94046537be0

How CyberStrike helps

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-72172?

CVE-2026-72172 is a high-severity vulnerability. It was published on August 15, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-72172?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2026-72172?

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2026-72172?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2026-72172 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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