# CVE-2026-72282: KVM: Move kvm_io_bus_get_dev() locking responsibilities to callers

> A race condition in KVM's I/O bus handling could allow attackers to trigger a use-after-free, potentially leading to code execution or privilege escalation.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 15 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 16 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-72282, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72282, GHSA-4pjm-pq6c-p9x5, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-72282

## What is CVE-2026-72282?

CVE-2026-72282 is a high-severity use after free 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:

KVM: Move kvm_io_bus_get_dev() locking responsibilities to callers

kvm_io_bus_get_dev() returns a device that is only matched by the
address, and nothing else. This can cause a lifetime issue if
the matched device is not the expected type, as by the time
the caller can introspect the object, it might be gone (the srcu
lock having been dropped).

Given that there is only a single user of this helper, the simplest
option is to move the locking responsibility to the caller, which
can keep the srcu lock held for as long as it wants.

Note that this aligns with other kvm_io_bus*() helpers, which
already require the srcu lock to be held by the callers.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-72282?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-72282?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-72282 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72282 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-72282 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-72282 is a high-severity use after free 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-2026-72282 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-2026-72282/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72282/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72282
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72282
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-72282

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72282/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.