# CVE-2026-72223: nvdimm/btt: Free arena sub-allocations on discover_arenas() error path

> A memory leak in the Linux kernel's NVDIMM BTT driver allows local attackers to cause denial of service by triggering error paths in arena discovery.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 15 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 17 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-72223, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72223, GHSA-pj7h-9r7j-559q, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-72223

## What is CVE-2026-72223?

CVE-2026-72223 is a memory corruption vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

nvdimm/btt: Free arena sub-allocations on discover_arenas() error path

Memory allocated by btt_freelist_init(), btt_rtt_init(), and
btt_maplocks_init() is not freed on some discover_arenas() error
paths. This leaks memory when arena discovery fails.

Add the missing kfree() calls to release the allocations before
returning an error.

[ as: commit message and log edits ]

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-72223?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-72223?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-72223 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72223 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-72223 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-72223 is a memory corruption vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72223 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-2026-72223/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72223/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72223
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72223
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-72223

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72223/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.