Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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ReconObtain local low-privilege shell access
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DeliveryConfirm IPMI modules loaded and BMC hardware present
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ExploitRegister multiple IPMI users on the interface
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InstallTrigger event delivery with deliberate mid-path allocation failure
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C2Induce stale double-put via rollback path
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ExecuteDereference freed ipmi_user kernel object
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ImpactExploit memory corruption to escalate to root
Vulnerability Assessment
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires all of the following concurrent conditions: (1) local shell access with at minimum an unprivileged user account (PR:L); (2) a Linux kernel version in the affected range across 6.1, 6.6, 6.12, 6.17, or 6.18 stable branches; (3) physical IPMI/BMC hardware present in the system, such that the ipmi_msghandler kernel module is loaded and functional; (4) the specific error-rollback path in handle_read_event_rsp() must be triggered - this occurs when event delivery fails after successfully allocating receive messages for at least one user but before completing allocation for all registered users, requiring multiple IPMI users to be registered simultaneously. Systems without IPMI hardware (most desktops, laptops, VMs, and cloud instances) are not affected regardless of kernel version. The lack of a race condition in the traditional sense means timing is less critical than deliberately inducing the allocation-failure mid-path condition, but this still requires controlled interaction with the IPMI subsystem rather than a passive trigger. |
| Impact | The CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 (High) accurately captures the theoretical impact - a local low-privilege attacker who successfully triggers the bug can achieve kernel memory corruption yielding full confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise. However, several signals indicate this is not an emergency-tier vulnerability for most organizations. EPSS at 0.20% (10th percentile) reflects very low exploitation probability in the current threat landscape, with no CISA KEV listing and no public POC identified. The vulnerability is constrained to systems with physical IPMI hardware (a BMC) and the ipmi_msghandler module loaded and active - a hardware prerequisite that eliminates most desktop, laptop, and cloud-VM deployments from scope. The error-rollback path requires a specific failure condition during multi-user event delivery, suggesting non-trivial triggering compared to a straightforward single-step flaw. Even a mid-sized municipal IT team in gliwice running Linux-based bare-metal server infrastructure with BMC management enabled should treat patching as a planned maintenance priority rather than an emergency response, given the local-access-only attack vector and hardware dependency. The CVSS vector is internally consistent with the description; no signal conflicts are observed, though the absence of a formal CWE assignment means root-cause classification is inferred from the patch description rather than confirmed by NVD. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A local attacker with a standard shell account on a Linux bare-metal server running an unpatched kernel opens the IPMI device, registers as an IPMI user, and crafts a sequence of IPMI event operations that causes handle_read_event_rsp() to fail mid-way through multi-user message allocation, deliberately triggering the error-rollback path. The stale double-put frees the ipmi_user object while it remains on intf->users; the attacker then triggers a subsequent IPMI event delivery that dereferences the freed object, achieving kernel memory corruption that can be leveraged for privilege escalation to root. No public POC exists at time of analysis, increasing the practical difficulty of this scenario. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 17, 2026
Reference count underflow in the Linux kernel IPMI subsystem's handle_read_event_rsp() function enables local privilege escalation on server hardware with active IPMI interfaces. The flaw resides in the error-rollback path: when event delivery fails after successfully allocating receive messages for some users, the rollback incorrectly drops the user reference count twice - once through ipmi_free_recv_msg() and again through a now-stale explicit put - freeing an ipmi_user object that remains linked on intf->users. Subsequent event delivery then dereferences the freed object or trips refcount_t's addition-on-zero guard, enabling kernel memory corruption leading to full system compromise. No public exploit or CISA KEV listing exists; EPSS is 0.20% at the 10th percentile, consistent with no active exploitation at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
The primary fix is to upgrade to a patched Linux kernel version: 6.1.157 or later for the 6.1 LTS branch, a post-6.6.113 stable release with commit 7be349d4 for the 6.6 LTS branch, a post-6.12.54 release with commit ddbb6e3d for the 6.12 LTS branch, 6.18.40 or later for the 6.18 branch, or 7.1.5 and later for the 7.1 series. Distribution kernels from major vendors (RHEL, Ubuntu, SUSE, Debian) will ship backported fixes - monitor vendor security advisories. As a compensating control where patching is not immediately possible, restrict access to IPMI device nodes (typically /dev/ipmi0 and /dev/ipmiX) to root-only by removing world/group read-write permissions; this prevents unprivileged local users from interacting with the IPMI subsystem and eliminates the PR:L attack vector, with the trade-off that non-root IPMI management tools will require elevated invocation. If IPMI functionality is not operationally required on a given host, blacklisting the ipmi_msghandler, ipmi_si, and related modules via /etc/modprobe.d entirely removes the attack surface with no functional impact on standard workloads. Patch commits can be reviewed at the kernel.org stable tree links in the references.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
The affected subsystem is the Linux kernel IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) message handler, implemented in drivers/char/ipmi/ipmi_msghandler.c. IPMI provides out-of-band server management via a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC); the kernel driver mediates communication between userspace tools and the BMC over system interfaces (KCS, SMIC, BT, SSIF). The vulnerability is a double-decrement of a refcount_t counter: ipmi_alloc_recv_msg(user) increments user->refcount for the lifetime of the receive message, and ipmi_free_recv_msg() decrements it when the message is released. The rollback path in handle_read_event_rsp() correctly calls ipmi_free_recv_msg() but also contains a stale explicit refcount put that survives from an earlier code revision, resulting in a net underflow. The refcount_t API in the kernel detects addition-on-zero as a warning, but the already-freed object may be dereferenced before that guard fires. No formal CWE is assigned by NVD; the root cause maps to CWE-191 (Integer Underflow on refcount) with a secondary CWE-416 (Use After Free) manifestation. Affected CPE corresponds to linux:linux_kernel across multiple stable branches.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local access with low privileges suffices to interact with IPMI device nodes; successful kernel UAF yields full C/I/A impact on the vulnerable system with no scope change.
AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Primary rating from Vendor (416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67).
CVSS VectorVendor: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Lifecycle Timeline
4DescriptionCVE.org
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
ipmi: Fix user refcount underflow in event delivery
ipmi_alloc_recv_msg(user) takes the temporary user reference owned by the receive message, and ipmi_free_recv_msg() drops it again. If event delivery fails after allocating receive messages for earlier users, handle_read_event_rsp() rolls those messages back with ipmi_free_recv_msg().
That rollback path still drops user->refcount explicitly after freeing each message. The extra put can free a user that remains linked on intf->users, so later event delivery may dereference a freed user or trip refcount_t's addition-on-zero warning when ipmi_alloc_recv_msg() tries to acquire another reference.
Remove the stale explicit put and the now-dead user assignment. Keep the list_del() and ipmi_free_recv_msg() calls; they are the required rollback operations.
Executive ViewAI
CVE-2026-72042 impacts Linux-based server infrastructure deployed with active IPMI interfaces, creating a local privilege escalation vulnerability that could enable full system compromise if exploited. Current threat intelligence indicates minimal active exploitation risk (EPSS 0.2%) and no public exploit identified at time of analysis, suggesting controlled risk at this time. Immediate action is warranted given the HIGH severity rating and vendor availability of a remediation patch.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
Same technique Information Disclosure
View allVendor StatusVendor
SUSE
Severity: Important| Product | Status |
|---|---|
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Legacy 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Legacy 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP7 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP7 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 12 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 LTSS EXTREME CORE | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 LTSS EXTREME CORE | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP6-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE CaaS Platform 4.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 6 | Affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 7 | Affected |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 7.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP6 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-ESPOS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-ESPOS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-ESPOS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP5 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-BCL | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-BCL | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-BCL | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP1 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2 | Affected |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP3 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Proxy LTS 4.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server LTS 4.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.0 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.1 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.2 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Manager Server LTS 4.3 | Affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP4 | Affected |
| SUSE Real Time Module 15 SP5 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.3 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.4 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.4 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | Affected |
| openSUSE Leap 15.6 | Affected |
EUVD-2026-59000
GHSA-vqpc-pm2x-2835
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Exploit-DB