# CVE-2026-72469: xprtrdma: Fix ep kref imbalance on ADDR_CHANGE

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's xprtrdma module allows attackers to cause denial of service or potentially execute code via improper reference counting during address change events.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **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:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-96543, BELL-CVE-2026-72469, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72469, GHSA-w6wr-jw44-5f3c, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-72469

## What is CVE-2026-72469?

CVE-2026-72469 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:

xprtrdma: Fix ep kref imbalance on ADDR_CHANGE

rpcrdma_cm_event_handler() falls through to the disconnected: label
on RDMA_CM_EVENT_ADDR_CHANGE and calls rpcrdma_ep_put() with no
matching get when the event arrives before RDMA_CM_EVENT_ESTABLISHED.
The kref then underflows during connect teardown and
rpcrdma_xprt_disconnect() operates on a freed ep.

Reference counts across a normal connection lifecycle:

    rpcrdma_ep_create()             kref_init     ->1
    rpcrdma_xprt_connect()          ep_get        ->2  (before post_recvs)
    RDMA_CM_EVENT_ESTABLISHED       ep_get        ->3
    RDMA_CM_EVENT_DISCONNECTED      ep_put        ->2
    rpcrdma_xprt_drain()            ep_put        ->1
    rpcrdma_xprt_disconnect() tail  ep_put        ->0  (ep_destroy)

The connect-time get in rpcrdma_xprt_connect(), taken just before
rpcrdma_post_recvs() "while there are outstanding Receives," is
balanced by rpcrdma_xprt_drain. ADDR_CHANGE before ESTABLISHED has
no get to consume, so its put drops the count to 1 and the drain
put then frees the ep while rpcrdma_xprt_disconnect() still holds a
pointer to it.

Fix by dispatching on the prior re_connect_status via xchg(): for
prev == 0 (pre-ESTABLISHED) wake the connect waiter and return with
no put; for prev == 1 call rpcrdma_force_disconnect() and return.
The case-1 arm relies on the subsequent RDMA_CM_EVENT_DISCONNECTED
event -- reliably delivered when rdma_disconnect() is called on a
still-connected cm_id -- to balance the ESTABLISHED get;
rpcrdma_xprt_drain() continues to balance only that connect-time
get. Any other prior value means teardown is already in flight.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-72469?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-72469?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-72469 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72469 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-72469 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-72469 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-2026-72469 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-2026-72469/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72469/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72469
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72469
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-72469

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72469/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.