Remote, high‑CVSS kernel memory corruption in Linux NFS TLS handshake affecting many servers; can yield kernel compromise and widespread disruption.
CVE-2026-72222
Remote kernel memory corruption via TLS-enabled NFS handshake.
Is CVE-2026-72222 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-72222 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 0.62% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-72222?
CVE-2026-72222 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-2026-72222?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-72222. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-72222 affect?
CVE-2026-72222 affects Linux kernel (NFS server with TLS enabled), Any distributions running sunrpc/tls_handshake (NFS over TLS). Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-72222?
Install vendor kernel updates and reboot; if unavailable, disable NFS over TLS or block access.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Remote attacker can trigger kernel memory corruption on TLS-enabled NFS servers, causing kernel panic (DoS) or enable arbitrary kernel code execution/root compromise.
Immediate action required
- affected>= b3cbf98e2fdf3cb147a95161560cd25987284330 and < f3b55945dd99f29d83e1965d0141040a35262346
- affected>= b3cbf98e2fdf3cb147a95161560cd25987284330 and < 2d4f97d13fff91e0bc539216be88b884b544d49f
- affected>= b3cbf98e2fdf3cb147a95161560cd25987284330 and < 3f9ee75a97a769be258784c22b89657acb5ed9bd
- affected>= b3cbf98e2fdf3cb147a95161560cd25987284330 and < 083e9c2ec7e8bb13b79c9fd7b337abdd758ecc5f
- affected>= b3cbf98e2fdf3cb147a95161560cd25987284330 and < 4f988f3a2808fb659f3880c282041ff067acad78
- affected6.4
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.