# CVE-2026-72245: gpu: host1x: Fix device reference leak in host1x_device_parse_dt() error path

> A reference leak in the Linux kernel host1x driver error path can lead to memory exhaustion and denial of service.

- **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-2026-72245, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72245, GHSA-mgwq-29pq-cq6w, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-72245

## What is CVE-2026-72245?

CVE-2026-72245 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:

gpu: host1x: Fix device reference leak in host1x_device_parse_dt() error path

After device_initialize(), the embedded struct device in struct
host1x_device should be released through the device core with
put_device().

In host1x_device_add(), if host1x_device_parse_dt() fails, the current
error path frees the object directly with kfree(device). That bypasses
the normal device lifetime handling and leaks the reference held on the
embedded struct device.

The issue was identified by a static analysis tool I developed and
confirmed by manual review.

Fix this by using put_device() in the host1x_device_parse_dt() failure
path.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-72245?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-72245?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-72245 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72245 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-72245 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-72245 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-2026-72245 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-2026-72245/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72245/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72245
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72245
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-72245

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72245/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.