Linux Kernel up to 7.2-rc2 octeontx2-pf otx2_init_hw_resources memory leak

CVSS Meta Temp Score
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Current Exploit Price (≈)
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CTI Interest Score
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9.5$0-$5k0.50-

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as very critical, was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.147/6.12.100/6.18.39/7.1.4/7.2-rc2. Affected by this vulnerability is the function otx2_init_hw_resources of the component octeontx2-pf. Such manipulation leads to memory leak. This vulnerability is traded as CVE-2026-72023. The attack may be launched remotely. There is no exploit available.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.147/6.12.100/6.18.39/7.1.4/7.2-rc2 and classified as very critical. Affected by this issue is the function otx2_init_hw_resources of the component octeontx2-pf. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a memory leak vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-401. The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, which slowly consumes remaining memory. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. CVE summarizes:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: octeontx2-pf: fix SQB pointer leak on init failure otx2_init_hw_resources() initializes SQ aura and pool resources before several later setup steps. On failure, err_free_sq_ptrs only frees SQB pages, leaving the per-SQ sqb_ptrs arrays behind. Use otx2_free_sq_res() for the SQ unwind path and let it free sqb_ptrs even when sq->sqe has not been allocated yet. The bug was first flagged by an experimental analysis tool we are developing for kernel memory-management bugs while analyzing v6.13-rc1. The tool is still under development and is not yet publicly available. Manual inspection confirms that the bug is still present in v7.1.1. An x86_64 allyesconfig build showed no new warnings. As we do not have an OcteonTX2 PF device and the corresponding AF mailbox setup to test with, no runtime testing was able to be performed.

The advisory is available at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is handled as CVE-2026-72023 since 08/09/2026. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be launched remotely. Technical details are known, but there is no available exploit. The structure of the vulnerability defines a possible price range of USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 08/15/2026). This vulnerability is assigned to T1499 by the MITRE ATT&CK project.

Upgrading to version 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18.40, 7.1.5 or 7.2-rc3 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 148d7ec0a3a98839c320e6cdd112e2e88bfb091b/5e023fe2569e630ba23b5558ebe4bf4837af4d16/5df30f05db96552903680a17f858d250dfd9e86e/23d917acd9c9a9fd999688ec3fdde7aa58ab8a14/62e7df6d042aeebd5efb581074e28865c04477be is able to eliminate this problem.

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Productinfo

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CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 9.9
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 9.5

VulDB Base Score: 9.9
VulDB Temp Score: 9.5
VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv2info

AVACAuCIA
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VectorComplexityAuthenticationConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability
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VulDB Base Score: 🔒
VulDB Temp Score: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Memory leak
CWE: CWE-401 / CWE-404
CAPEC: 🔒
ATT&CK: 🔒

Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Yes

Availability: 🔒
Status: Not defined

EPSS Score: 🔒
EPSS Percentile: 🔒

Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔒

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Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔒

Upgrade: Kernel 6.6.148/6.12.101/6.18.40/7.1.5/7.2-rc3
Patch: 148d7ec0a3a98839c320e6cdd112e2e88bfb091b/5e023fe2569e630ba23b5558ebe4bf4837af4d16/5df30f05db96552903680a17f858d250dfd9e86e/23d917acd9c9a9fd999688ec3fdde7aa58ab8a14/62e7df6d042aeebd5efb581074e28865c04477be

Timelineinfo

08/09/2026 CVE reserved
08/15/2026 +6 days Advisory disclosed
08/15/2026 +0 days VulDB entry created
08/15/2026 +0 days VulDB entry last update

Sourcesinfo

Vendor: kernel.org

Advisory: git.kernel.org
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-2026-72023 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2026-72023
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-390434

Entryinfo

Created: 08/15/2026 11:16
Changes: 08/15/2026 11:16 (59)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

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