CVE-2026-72476 dmaengine: Fix possible use after free
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel DMA engine allows attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges.
- 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
What is CVE-2026-72476?
CVE-2026-72476 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:
dmaengine: Fix possible use after free
In dma_release_channel(), check chan->device->privatecnt after call dma_chan_put(). However, dma_chan_put() call dma_device_put() which could release the last reference of the device if the DMA provider is already gone and hence free it.
Fixes it by moving dma_chan_put() after the check.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-72476?
How do I fix CVE-2026-72476?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2026-72476 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72476 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-72476, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72476, GHSA-3wch-675q-fgx7, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-72476.