CVE-2026-72137: xfrm: nat_keepalive: avoid double free on send error
- Is it exploited?
Not on CISA's list. CISA has not added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as of . If CISA adds it, this page shows it as known exploited.
- How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?
- 0.7%
EPSS score, percentile 53.5 of all scored records. A probability estimated by FIRST, not a report of exploitation.
- How severe?
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA
- What should I do?
CISA has set no required action, because the vulnerability is not in KEV.
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
- Which versions are affected?
Affected
- 6.11
Unaffected before 6.11; 6.12.101; 6.18.40; 7.1.5; 7.2
Source: CISA KEV 2026.10.29, as of ; FIRST EPSS, as of ; CVE List, as of . About the data.
What to do
Advisories and patches
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
This summary is based on the CVE record as of . Check the vendor's advisory before you act: affected versions and fixes can change.
Affected products and versions
As listed in the CVE record.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | from f531d13bdfe3 to before d0a4dc7efa82 |
| Affected | from f531d13bdfe3 to before 5b0c4c916f20 |
| Affected | from f531d13bdfe3 to before a8a7e6a9ff8a |
| Affected | from f531d13bdfe3 to before 226f4a490d1a |
Versions not listed are: unaffected.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | 6.11 |
| Unaffected | before 6.11 |
| Unaffected | 6.12.101 |
| Unaffected | 6.18.40 |
| Unaffected | 7.1.5 |
| Unaffected | 7.2 |
Versions not listed are: affected.
Versions the record lists as unaffected: 6.12.101, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2.
Source: CVE List, as of . About the data.
About this vulnerability
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: nat_keepalive: avoid double free on send error nat_keepalive_send() frees the keepalive skb whenever the IPv4 or IPv6 send helper reports an error. That cleanup is only correct before the skb is handed to the output path. Once ip_build_and_send_pkt() or ip6_xmit() takes ownership, the networking stack may already have co…
Summary: CVE record, as of .
- CISA has not added CVE-2026-72137 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, as of 29 Oct 2026.
- The CVE record was published on 15 Aug 2026.
- The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical), given by its CNA.
- FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.7% (percentile 53.5), as of 29 Oct 2026. EPSS is a statistical estimate, not a report of exploitation.
Source: CISA KEV 2026.10.29, as of ; CVE List, as of ; FIRST EPSS, as of . About the data.
Description
xfrm: nat_keepalive: avoid double free on send error
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: nat_keepalive: avoid double free on send error nat_keepalive_send() frees the keepalive skb whenever the IPv4 or IPv6 send helper reports an error. That cleanup is only correct before the skb is handed to the output path. Once ip_build_and_send_pkt() or ip6_xmit() takes ownership, the networking stack may already have consumed the skb before returning an error, so freeing it again is unsafe. Handle the pre-handoff failure cases inside nat_keepalive_send_ipv4() and nat_keepalive_send_ipv6(), where the caller still owns the skb, and keep nat_keepalive_send() responsible only for family dispatch and the unsupported-family cleanup path.
Source: CVE List, as of . About the data.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| CVE record published | |
| CVE record last updated |
Known exploited Linux vulnerabilities
- CVE-2026-46300: Linux Kernel Missing Initialization of a Variable Vulnerability
- CVE-2025-39682: Linux Kernel Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions Vulnerability
- CVE-2025-39964: Linux Kernel Race Condition Vulnerability
- CVE-2026-53266: Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write Vulnerability
- CVE-2026-53362: Linux Kernel Unspecified Vulnerability