# CVE-2026-72273: fbdev: efifb: fix memory leak in efifb_probe()

> A memory leak in the Linux kernel's efifb driver allows local attackers to exhaust system memory, potentially causing a 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-2026-72273, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72273, GHSA-xgc7-5q39-hq26, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-72273

## What is CVE-2026-72273?

CVE-2026-72273 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: efifb: fix memory leak in efifb_probe()

Since commit 73ce73c30ba9 ("fbdev: Transfer video= option strings to
caller; clarify ownership") the string returned from fb_get_options()
is expected to be freed by the caller, but the string is not freed in
efifb_probe(). Fix that by freeing the option string after setup.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-72273?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-72273?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-72273 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72273 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-72273 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-72273 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-2026-72273 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-2026-72273/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72273/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72273
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72273
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-72273

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72273/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.