CVE-2026-74672: mm/vmalloc: acquire init_mm lock on huge vmap to avoid ptdump UAF

mediumCVSS 5.2CVE-2026-74672

CSIRTS triage

vendor: Linux product: Linux kernel Memory corruption

What: A use-after-free vulnerability in vmalloc huge vmap operations due to missing init_mm lock acquisition during ptdump traversal.
Who is affected: Linux kernel systems using vmalloc for large mappings that perform concurrent ptdump operations.
Urgency: Medium severity (CVSS 5.2) with no current exploitation; patch available upstream.
Action: Apply Linux kernel security patch addressing init_mm lock handling in mm/vmalloc.c.

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 5.2
Published: 2026-08-11
Exploitation: Not in CISA KEV at last sync

Original advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-74672

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-2026-746720.17% 30-day exploitation probability — currently an unlikely target, but scores change as exploit code circulates. Riskier than 7% of all EPSS-scored CVEs.

Referenced CVEs

CVE	CSIRTS overview	External
CVE-2026-74672	coverage & exploitation status	NVD · CVE.org

Same CVEs, other sources

How other CERTs, PSIRTs and databases cover the vulnerabilities in this advisory.

unknownCVE-2026-74672: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/vmalloc: acquire init_m…nvd

Recent advisories for mm/vmalloc

A cluster of recent advisories against the same product widens the attack surface — attackers routinely chain freshly published CVEs on one product, so review these together.

unknownCVE-2026-74672: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/vmalloc: acquire init_m…nvd · 2026-08-22
highCVE-2026-63955: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/vmalloc: do not trigger…nvd · 2026-07-19