CVE-2026-72265 fbdev: nvidia: fix potential memory leak in nvidiafb_probe()
A memory leak in the Linux kernel nvidiafb driver allows local attackers to cause a denial of service by exhausting system memory.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-72265?
CVE-2026-72265 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:
fbdev: nvidia: fix potential memory leak in nvidiafb_probe()
In nvidiafb_probe(), the memory allocated for modelist in nvidia_set_fbinfo() is not freed in the subsequent error paths. Fix that by calling fb_destroy_modelist().
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-72265?
How do I fix CVE-2026-72265?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.
Is CVE-2026-72265 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72265 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-72265, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72265, GHSA-4j42-qmrm-833c, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-72265.