ipmi: fix refcount leak in i_ipmi_request()
Key facts
- Attack vector
- —
- Privileges required
- —
- User interaction
- —
- Attack complexity
- —
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- —
- Fix status
- Fixed
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipmi: fix refcount leak in i_ipmi_request() When a caller provides a `supplied_recv` message to i_ipmi_request(), the function increments the user's `nr_msgs` reference count. If an error occurs later, the out_err cleanup path only frees the recv_msg if the function allocated it itself (i.e., !supplied_recv). In the supplied_recv case the cleanup is skipped, leaving the reference count elevated. The caller ipmi_request_supply_msgs() does not release the supplied_recv on error, so the reference is permanently leaked. Fix this by explicitly reverting the reference count operations when a supplied recv_msg with a valid user pointer is present in the error path: decrement nr_msgs and drop the user's kref.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.1.157 to before 6.1.184; 6.6.113 to before 6.6.148; 6.12.54 to before 6.12.101; 6.17.4 to before 6.18 | 6.1.184, 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18 | Patch available | CNA |
| Linux | Linux | 6.18 and later | 6.1.184, 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.1.157 to before 6.1.184; 6.6.113 to before 6.6.148; 6.12.54 to before 6.12.101; 6.17.4 to before 6.18 Fixed in 6.1.184, 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18 Patch available CNA
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.18 and later Fixed in 6.1.184, 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2 Patch available CNA
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.184, 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.184, 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 5 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-72040
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-j63g-h4gq-q67f
- 2026-11-06 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Other 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/122ca6b2af714e114c9b872a48372ace31a9ab1f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9409e18ffe7378d202efe1cf69989df9f67b0369
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e2a3b77df6aef031455dd83ea8ed4344b7dca1f9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f5c5065963024390ddad51bd455d1adc710de575
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0fd23994ec8c5436d9f0b50848deb87ed933e6b3
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a3f3859cecacb64f18fd446271ece9a3b3f2d4de
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Sources
- CVE-2026-72040 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-72040 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-j63g-h4gq-q67f · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-72040 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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