Linux kernel is widely deployed; a kernel use-after-free enabling DoS or potential privilege escalation in networking stacks affects many environments and demands org-wide attention.
CVE-2026-72493
Race in Linux net backlog causes kernel use-after-free during device unregistration.
Is CVE-2026-72493 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-72493 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 0.35% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-72493?
CVE-2026-72493 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.9. 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-2026-72493?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-72493. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-72493 affect?
CVE-2026-72493 affects Linux kernel (network subsystem), veth and lockless transmitters, containers using veth pairs, network namespaces. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-72493?
Apply kernel update with the fix and restart affected hosts or network namespaces promptly.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Local or containerized attacker can trigger a kernel use-after-free via crafted packets, enabling denial-of-service or potential kernel code execution/privilege escalation.
Immediate action required
- affected>= e9e4dd3267d0c5234c5c0f47440456b10875dec9 and < 2fface6e0bbd6314d1d9d071abf2c4d67548511c
- affected>= e9e4dd3267d0c5234c5c0f47440456b10875dec9 and < 46762cefe7f4e5bffc1eb467810a7bbb02e461d7
- affected78b6803a1961369d0b8350ff1f99b7375bbd7a8f
- affectedb5d73d9cdd6be22795499890ea928a6f57ef829c
- affectedf6533fed1bfa842e391ee50f9a9c5e963c71e579
- affected2095ab2456da766174cda8bc105d7a7b1bc70e16
- affectedf1fdb184aefa8447560e3ea0e605171592ffee41
- affectedf75c8a3015422128ca150e81c730bc2a471b5f4a
- affected>= 3.2.71 and < 3.3
- affected>= 3.4.111 and < 3.5
- affected>= 3.12.48 and < 3.13
- affected>= 3.14.54 and < 3.15
- affected>= 3.18.22 and < 3.19
- affected>= 4.1.9 and < 4.2
- affected4.2
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.