Vulnerability in Linux

CVE-2026-72436

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: ipset: Don't use test_bit() in lockless RCU readers in hash types Sashiko pointed out that there are a few lockless RCU readers using test_bit() which is a relaxed atomic operation and provides no memory barrier guarantees. Use test_bit_acquire() instead where the operation may run parallel with add/del/gc, i.e. is not one from the next cases - protected by region lock - in a set destroy phase - in a new/temporary set creation phase

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 9.8 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.007 (52.1th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 52nd percentile — 52.1% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2026-72436: held from 0.007 to 0.007.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.007 · newest: 0.007 · change: +0.000

Affected products

  • Linux — versions 4.2, 7.2-rc1, 18f84d41d34fa35d0d64bbaea01fe664553ecc06

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-72436?
CVE-2026-72436 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Linux. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2026-08-15.
How severe is CVE-2026-72436?
Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.