Kernel-level dm-verity flaw in widely deployed Linux (including Android/embedded) enables kernel memory corruption and potential privilege escalation; broad impact across infrastructure.
CVE-2026-72098
Linux kernel dm-verity FEC buffer overflow enabling kernel memory corruption
Is CVE-2026-72098 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-72098 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.66% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-72098?
CVE-2026-72098 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-72098?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-72098. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-72098 affect?
CVE-2026-72098 affects Linux kernel (dm-verity), Android devices with dm-verity, Embedded devices using dm-verity, Systems mounting verity-protected images. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-72098?
Apply vendor kernel updates/backports immediately; avoid mounting untrusted verity images.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Out-of-bounds write in FEC decoder can corrupt kernel memory, enabling privilege escalation or denial-of-service when processing crafted verity images.
Immediate action required
- affected>= a739ff3f543afbb4a041c16cd0182c8e8d366e70 and < 5488d3a69d205e28f74f18857b853aa12e778e66
- affected>= a739ff3f543afbb4a041c16cd0182c8e8d366e70 and < f7990c2b0f08b8841fcd2652d1d7002f5994a7a7
- affected>= a739ff3f543afbb4a041c16cd0182c8e8d366e70 and < 31d6e6c0ba8d5a7bd59660035a089307100c5e8e
- affected4.5
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.