# CVE-2026-72040: ipmi: fix refcount leak in i_ipmi_request()

Status: published. Published: 2026-08-15. Updated: 2026-11-06.

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

ipmi: fix refcount leak in i_ipmi_request()

When a caller provides a `supplied_recv` message to i_ipmi_request(),
the function increments the user's `nr_msgs` reference count. If an
error occurs later, the out_err cleanup path only frees the recv_msg
if the function allocated it itself (i.e., !supplied_recv). In the
supplied_recv case the cleanup is skipped, leaving the reference count
elevated. The caller ipmi_request_supply_msgs() does not release the
supplied_recv on error, so the reference is permanently leaked.

Fix this by explicitly reverting the reference count operations when a
supplied recv_msg with a valid user pointer is present in the error
path: decrement nr_msgs and drop the user's kref.

## Remediation

No remediation reported in collected sources

## Affected products and versions

- Linux / Linux: ≥ f63723ca7d7623f9dae1990973cd158671f03c56; < 122ca6b2af714e114c9b872a48372ace31a9ab1f (affected, git); ≥ 348121b29594d42d1635648fd3ed31dfa25351d5; < 9409e18ffe7378d202efe1cf69989df9f67b0369 (affected, git); ≥ 53d6e403affbf6df2c859a0ea00ccfc1e72090ca; < e2a3b77df6aef031455dd83ea8ed4344b7dca1f9 (affected, git); ≥ b52da4054ee0bf9ecb44996f2c83236ff50b3812; < f5c5065963024390ddad51bd455d1adc710de575 (affected, git); ≥ b52da4054ee0bf9ecb44996f2c83236ff50b3812; < 0fd23994ec8c5436d9f0b50848deb87ed933e6b3 (affected, git); ≥ b52da4054ee0bf9ecb44996f2c83236ff50b3812; < a3f3859cecacb64f18fd446271ece9a3b3f2d4de (affected, git); 0ed73be9a2547ffb9b5c1d879ad9bfab73d920b5 (affected, git); ≥ 6.1.157; < 6.1.184 (affected, semver); ≥ 6.6.113; < 6.6.148 (affected, semver); ≥ 6.12.54; < 6.12.101 (affected, semver); ≥ 6.17.4; < 6.18 (affected, semver). Source: CNA: Linux
- Linux / Linux: 6.18 (affected); ≥ 0; < 6.18 (unaffected, semver); ≥ 6.1.184; ≤ 6.1.* (unaffected, semver); ≥ 6.6.148; ≤ 6.6.* (unaffected, semver); ≥ 6.12.101; ≤ 6.12.* (unaffected, semver); ≥ 6.18.40; ≤ 6.18.* (unaffected, semver); ≥ 7.1.5; ≤ 7.1.* (unaffected, semver); ≥ 7.2; ≤ * (unaffected, original_commit_for_fix). Source: CNA: Linux

## Severity and prioritization

- CISA KEV: No listing in collected sources

- EPSS: 0.21% as of 2026-11-06; percentile 11.45%

- SSVC: exploitation none; automatable no; technical impact partial; source ADP: CISA-ADP

- Weaknesses: Not reported

## Exploit evidence

No exploit evidence in collected sources. This is not proof of no exploitation.

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/122ca6b2af714e114c9b872a48372ace31a9ab1f (CNA: Linux)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9409e18ffe7378d202efe1cf69989df9f67b0369 (CNA: Linux)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e2a3b77df6aef031455dd83ea8ed4344b7dca1f9 (CNA: Linux)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f5c5065963024390ddad51bd455d1adc710de575 (CNA: Linux)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0fd23994ec8c5436d9f0b50848deb87ed933e6b3 (CNA: Linux)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a3f3859cecacb64f18fd446271ece9a3b3f2d4de (CNA: Linux)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0fd23994ec8c5436d9f0b50848deb87ed933e6b3 (416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/122ca6b2af714e114c9b872a48372ace31a9ab1f (416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9409e18ffe7378d202efe1cf69989df9f67b0369 (416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a3f3859cecacb64f18fd446271ece9a3b3f2d4de (416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e2a3b77df6aef031455dd83ea8ed4344b7dca1f9 (416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f5c5065963024390ddad51bd455d1adc710de575 (416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)

## Provenance

- CNA: Linux: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72040; retrieved 2026-11-06; source updated 2026-11-06

- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72040; retrieved 2026-11-06; source updated 2026-11-06

- FIRST EPSS: https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-72040; retrieved 2026-11-06; source updated Not reported

Revision: 564db50e5f3574f2e42bebbb67d88d7d89f3d499ec07839c8ad071532c17841a

Canonical: https://y2.dev/cve/CVE-2026-72040

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