# CVE-2026-72048: ieee802154: ca8210: fix cas_ctl leak on spi_async failure


- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 15 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 17 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-72048, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72048, GHSA-f7cg-qgjp-phqf, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-72048

## What is CVE-2026-72048?

CVE-2026-72048 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 2026. 

### Official description

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

ieee802154: ca8210: fix cas_ctl leak on spi_async failure

ca8210_spi_transfer() allocates cas_ctl with kzalloc_obj(GFP_ATOMIC)
and relies entirely on the SPI completion callback
ca8210_spi_transfer_complete() to free it.

The spi_async() API only invokes the completion callback on successful
submission.  On failure it returns a negative error code without ever
queuing the callback, which leaves cas_ctl and its embedded spi_message
and spi_transfer orphaned.  Every kfree(cas_ctl) in the driver is
inside the completion callback, so there is no other reclamation path.

ca8210_spi_transfer() is called from ca8210_spi_exchange(), the
interrupt handler ca8210_interrupt_handler(), and from the retry path
inside the completion callback itself.  The exchange and interrupt
handler paths loop on -EBUSY, so under sustained SPI bus contention
every retry iteration leaks a fresh cas_ctl (~600 bytes per
occurrence).

Fix it by freeing cas_ctl on the spi_async() error path.  While here,
correct the misleading error string: the function calls spi_async(),
not spi_sync().

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-72048?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-72048?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2026-72048 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72048 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-72048 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-72048 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 2026. 
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72048 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72048/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72048/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72048
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72048
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-72048

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72048/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.