CVE-2026-72496
Linux bnxt_re RDMA driver ioremap bug can cause kernel crash or privilege escalation
Is CVE-2026-72496 being exploited?
Not confirmed. CVE-2026-72496 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 0.12% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How severe is CVE-2026-72496?
CVE-2026-72496 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.2. 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-2026-72496?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-72496. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2026-72496 affect?
CVE-2026-72496 affects Linux kernel (bnxt_re), bnxt_qplib, Systems with Broadcom BNXT/NetXtreme RDMA NICs. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
What should I do about CVE-2026-72496?
Upgrade Linux kernel to vendor-fixed release; update BNXT drivers/firmware and reboot.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
Improper ioremap rollback in bnxt_re can trigger kernel panic/DoS or enable local privilege escalation via RDMA/Broadcom NIC access.
Patch when possible
- affected>= 0ac20faf5d837b59fb4c041ea320932ed47fd67f and < 303f6fef95df5e5316970746d861cf6daeeca77f
- affected>= 0ac20faf5d837b59fb4c041ea320932ed47fd67f and < 87267803a8c824616eb147c5dad7030a5db6f878
- affected6.5
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.