CVE-2026-72712: Nmap 7.99 Denial of Service via Zero-Length TCP Option Packet

mediumCVSS 6.5CVE-2026-72712

CSIRTS triage

vendor: Nmap product: Nmap Denial of serviceaffected: 7.99

What: Nmap 7.99 is vulnerable to denial of service when processing zero-length TCP option packets.
Who is affected: Systems running Nmap 7.99 that process untrusted network traffic or packet captures.
Urgency: Medium severity (CVSS 6.5); update promptly to prevent DoS crashes during normal scanning operations.
Action: Upgrade Nmap to a version after 7.99 that properly handles zero-length TCP options.

AI-assisted analysis generated from the source advisory — verify against the original.

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Details

Source: Microsoft Security Response Center (INTL · vendor-psirt · site)
Severity: medium — CVSS 6.5
Published: 2026-08-11
Exploitation: Not in CISA KEV at last sync

Original advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-72712

Exploitation outlook

EPSS (FIRST.org) estimates each CVE’s probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — here is the CSIRTS.com read on those numbers.

Low exploitation riskCVE-2026-727120.42% 30-day exploitation probability — currently an unlikely target, but scores change as exploit code circulates. Riskier than 36% of all EPSS-scored CVEs.

Referenced CVEs

CVE	CSIRTS overview	External
CVE-2026-72712	coverage & exploitation status	NVD · CVE.org

Same CVEs, other sources

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