CVE-2026-72068
posix-cpu-timers: Use u64 multiplication in update_rlimit_cpu()
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: posix-cpu-timers: Use u64 multiplication in update_rlimit_cpu() update_rlimit_cpu() converts the RLIMIT_CPU value to nanoseconds with u64 nsecs = rlim_new * NSEC_PER_SEC; On 32-bit kernels both rlim_new (unsigned long) and NSEC_PER_SEC (1000000000L) are 32-bit, so the multiplication is performed in unsigned long and truncated for rlim_new > 4 seconds before being widened to u64. The same file already casts to u64 for the matching computation in check_process_timers(): u64 softns = (u64)soft * NSEC_PER_SEC; As a result, the truncated value is installed into the CPUCLOCK_PROF expiry cache (nextevt), causing the process CPU timer to be programmed to fire prematurely for any RLIMIT_CPU soft limit >= 5 seconds. The actual SIGXCPU/SIGKILL decision in check_process_timers() already casts to u64 and is therefore correct, so limit enforcement is not broken; only the expiry-cache programming is wrong. Apply the same cast here so both paths convert rlim_cur identically. 64-bit kernels are unaffected.
INFO
Published Date :
Aug. 15, 2026, 6:21 a.m.
Last Modified :
Aug. 17, 2026, 6:18 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Solution
- Update the Linux kernel to resolve the issue.
- Ensure proper type casting in timer calculations.
- Verify timer expiry values after update.
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-2026-72068.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-72068 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-2026-72068
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-2026-72068 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-72068 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': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': 'feb5c87c8514444ba891b75a5a3eae57c64edaf8', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': '384628d6cdde0fcd76868606fad3ad8293100afb', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': '1fafc4d9b411645eb34de43362b966dc8fb3e263', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': 'cff8281bacd2866767e6194c3079d33b6c5a74f4', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': 'edf6babb9edd2d3e19229ade339081f439d4f478', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': 'ea6a188ee805e841a0e242f14d15953e0dfa74bb', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': '571e1f10b5996ba3e4dc63ea77de4aa309c384ce', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': '26aff38fefb1d6cd87e22525f41cc8f1aa61b24f', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['kernel/time/posix-cpu-timers.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '4.11'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '4.11', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '5.10.261', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '5.10.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '5.15.212', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '5.15.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.1.178', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.145', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.97', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'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-rc1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['kernel/time/posix-cpu-timers.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': 'feb5c87c8514444ba891b75a5a3eae57c64edaf8', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': '384628d6cdde0fcd76868606fad3ad8293100afb', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': '1fafc4d9b411645eb34de43362b966dc8fb3e263', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': 'cff8281bacd2866767e6194c3079d33b6c5a74f4', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': 'edf6babb9edd2d3e19229ade339081f439d4f478', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': 'ea6a188ee805e841a0e242f14d15953e0dfa74bb', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': '571e1f10b5996ba3e4dc63ea77de4aa309c384ce', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': '26aff38fefb1d6cd87e22525f41cc8f1aa61b24f', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['kernel/time/posix-cpu-timers.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '4.11'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '4.11', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '5.10.261', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '5.10.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '5.15.212', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '5.15.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.1.178', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.145', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.97', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'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': ['kernel/time/posix-cpu-timers.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': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': 'feb5c87c8514444ba891b75a5a3eae57c64edaf8', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': '384628d6cdde0fcd76868606fad3ad8293100afb', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': '1fafc4d9b411645eb34de43362b966dc8fb3e263', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': 'cff8281bacd2866767e6194c3079d33b6c5a74f4', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': 'edf6babb9edd2d3e19229ade339081f439d4f478', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': 'ea6a188ee805e841a0e242f14d15953e0dfa74bb', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': '571e1f10b5996ba3e4dc63ea77de4aa309c384ce', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '858cf3a8c59968e7c5f7c1a1192459a0d52d1ab4', 'lessThan': '26aff38fefb1d6cd87e22525f41cc8f1aa61b24f', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['kernel/time/posix-cpu-timers.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '4.11'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '4.11', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '5.10.261', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '5.10.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '5.15.212', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '5.15.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.1.178', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.145', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.97', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'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-rc1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['kernel/time/posix-cpu-timers.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: posix-cpu-timers: Use u64 multiplication in update_rlimit_cpu() update_rlimit_cpu() converts the RLIMIT_CPU value to nanoseconds with u64 nsecs = rlim_new * NSEC_PER_SEC; On 32-bit kernels both rlim_new (unsigned long) and NSEC_PER_SEC (1000000000L) are 32-bit, so the multiplication is performed in unsigned long and truncated for rlim_new > 4 seconds before being widened to u64. The same file already casts to u64 for the matching computation in check_process_timers(): u64 softns = (u64)soft * NSEC_PER_SEC; As a result, the truncated value is installed into the CPUCLOCK_PROF expiry cache (nextevt), causing the process CPU timer to be programmed to fire prematurely for any RLIMIT_CPU soft limit >= 5 seconds. The actual SIGXCPU/SIGKILL decision in check_process_timers() already casts to u64 and is therefore correct, so limit enforcement is not broken; only the expiry-cache programming is wrong. Apply the same cast here so both paths convert rlim_cur identically. 64-bit kernels are unaffected. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1fafc4d9b411645eb34de43362b966dc8fb3e263 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/26aff38fefb1d6cd87e22525f41cc8f1aa61b24f Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/384628d6cdde0fcd76868606fad3ad8293100afb Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/571e1f10b5996ba3e4dc63ea77de4aa309c384ce Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cff8281bacd2866767e6194c3079d33b6c5a74f4 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ea6a188ee805e841a0e242f14d15953e0dfa74bb Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/edf6babb9edd2d3e19229ade339081f439d4f478 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/feb5c87c8514444ba891b75a5a3eae57c64edaf8