How severe is CVE-2026-72462?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2026-72462 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2026-72462?

CVE-2026-72462 affects the following packages: Kernel (Linux). Ecosystems affected: Linux.

How do I fix CVE-2026-72462?

Update Kernel to 6.18.40 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-72462 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2026-72462 in my Linux dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for Kernel. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.

How do I mitigate CVE-2026-72462 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

How does O3 Security protect against CVE-2026-72462?

O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-72462 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Is CVE-2026-72462 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2026-72462 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

When was CVE-2026-72462 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2026-72462 was published on August 15, 2026 and was last updated on August 16, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🐧 Linux

Not in CISA KEV

CVE-2026-72462

CVE-2026-72462 is a security vulnerability in Kernel. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2026-72462 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.

apparmor: fix race in unix socket mediation when peer_path is used

Published

Aug 15, 2026

Updated

Aug 16, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Aug 16, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

🐧Kernel

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Linux packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

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

apparmor: fix race in unix socket mediation when peer_path is used

The holding a reference to the peer_sk is not enough to ensure access to the peer sk path. Accessing the path outside of the state lock allows for a race with unix_release_sock(). Fix this by taking the state lock and getting a reference to the path under lock.

Ideally for connected sockets we would cache this information so we don't have to take the lock here. But for now just fix the race.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐧Linux	`Kernel`	≥ 6.17.0&&< 6.18.40	6.18.40

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for Kernel. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update Kernel to 6.18.40 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-72462 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-72462 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Tailored to CVE-2026-72462. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: apparmor: fix race in unix socket mediation when peer_path is used The holding a reference to the peer_sk is not enough to ensure access to the peer sk path. Accessing the path outside of the state lock allows for a race with unix_release_sock(). Fix this by taking the state lock and getting a reference to the path under lock. Ideally for connected sockets we would cache this information so we don't have to take the lock here. But for now just fix the race.

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2026-72462 in your dependencies?

O3 detects CVE-2026-72462 across Linux dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works