Affects the Linux kernel BPF verifier used across servers, cloud, and containers; can enable kernel memory-safety bypass and potential privilege escalation impacting many organizations.
CVE-2026-72111
Linux kernel BPF verifier bounds bug allows memory-safety bypass
Is CVE-2026-72111 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-72111 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 0.18% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-72111?
CVE-2026-72111 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.8. 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-2026-72111?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-72111. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-72111 affect?
CVE-2026-72111 affects Linux kernel (BPF/eBPF verifier), Hosts running untrusted BPF programs, Container/cloud workloads using eBPF. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-72111?
Update Linux kernel to the patched release and restrict untrusted BPF until patched.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Bypass BPF memory-safety checks causing kernel memory corruption and possible privilege escalation or sandbox escape via malicious BPF programs.
Patch when possible
- affected>= 5d99e198be279045e6ecefe220f5c52f8ce9bfd5 and < bde92f65042ec14389782dd223f706bf6b59ce5d
- affected>= 5d99e198be279045e6ecefe220f5c52f8ce9bfd5 and < 0993dc5fc619c0b25ab1310cb11d65e78351c0fe
- affected>= 5d99e198be279045e6ecefe220f5c52f8ce9bfd5 and < 5a55f9aecc08990940e70f0c7048a80850c5a16a
- affected>= 5d99e198be279045e6ecefe220f5c52f8ce9bfd5 and < 5e0b273e0a62cc04ec338c7b502797c66c2ed42a
- affected1050727d83e70449991c29dd1cf29fe936a63da3
- affected27ca3e20fe80be85a92b10064dfeb56cb2564b1c
- affected>= 6.10.13 and < 6.11
- affected>= 6.11.2 and < 6.12
- affected6.12
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.