CVE-2026-72006
net/mlx5: free mlx5_st_idx_data on final dealloc
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5: free mlx5_st_idx_data on final dealloc Workloads that repeatedly allocate and release mkeys carrying TPH steering-tag hints (e.g. churning RDMA MRs) leak one struct mlx5_st_idx_data per cycle; kmemleak flags it as unreferenced and the kmalloc slab grows over time. When the last reference to an ST table entry is dropped, mlx5_st_dealloc_index() removed the entry from idx_xa but the backing mlx5_st_idx_data allocation was never freed. Free idx_data after the xa_erase() so the lifetime of the bookkeeping struct matches the lifetime of the ST entry it tracks.
INFO
Published Date :
Aug. 15, 2026, 6:20 a.m.
Last Modified :
Aug. 17, 2026, 6:17 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Solution
- Ensure mlx5_st_idx_data is freed after the tracking struct's lifetime.
- Apply the fix for mlx5_st_dealloc_index to prevent memory leaks.
- Update the Linux kernel to the patched version.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-72006.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-72006 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-72006
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-72006 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-72006 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Aug. 17, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Changed Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '888a7776f4fb04c19bec70c737c61c2f383c6b1e', 'lessThan': '262da8b6ea03d01ee7ed01ad309e4c89941f6b14', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '888a7776f4fb04c19bec70c737c61c2f383c6b1e', 'lessThan': '6eb4cf2fa8997f62c11e0006dc010a1fd89c5a75', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '888a7776f4fb04c19bec70c737c61c2f383c6b1e', 'lessThan': 'df6134b527a88b3e65ba6ae5073664af091d5fd2', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/lib/st.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.17'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.17', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.40', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2-rc4', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/lib/st.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '888a7776f4fb04c19bec70c737c61c2f383c6b1e', 'lessThan': '262da8b6ea03d01ee7ed01ad309e4c89941f6b14', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '888a7776f4fb04c19bec70c737c61c2f383c6b1e', 'lessThan': '6eb4cf2fa8997f62c11e0006dc010a1fd89c5a75', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '888a7776f4fb04c19bec70c737c61c2f383c6b1e', 'lessThan': 'df6134b527a88b3e65ba6ae5073664af091d5fd2', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/lib/st.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.17'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.17', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.40', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/lib/st.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] -
New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Aug. 15, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '888a7776f4fb04c19bec70c737c61c2f383c6b1e', 'lessThan': '262da8b6ea03d01ee7ed01ad309e4c89941f6b14', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '888a7776f4fb04c19bec70c737c61c2f383c6b1e', 'lessThan': '6eb4cf2fa8997f62c11e0006dc010a1fd89c5a75', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '888a7776f4fb04c19bec70c737c61c2f383c6b1e', 'lessThan': 'df6134b527a88b3e65ba6ae5073664af091d5fd2', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/lib/st.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '6.17'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '6.17', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.40', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.5', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2-rc4', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlx5/core/lib/st.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5: free mlx5_st_idx_data on final dealloc Workloads that repeatedly allocate and release mkeys carrying TPH steering-tag hints (e.g. churning RDMA MRs) leak one struct mlx5_st_idx_data per cycle; kmemleak flags it as unreferenced and the kmalloc slab grows over time. When the last reference to an ST table entry is dropped, mlx5_st_dealloc_index() removed the entry from idx_xa but the backing mlx5_st_idx_data allocation was never freed. Free idx_data after the xa_erase() so the lifetime of the bookkeeping struct matches the lifetime of the ST entry it tracks. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/262da8b6ea03d01ee7ed01ad309e4c89941f6b14 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6eb4cf2fa8997f62c11e0006dc010a1fd89c5a75 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/df6134b527a88b3e65ba6ae5073664af091d5fd2