mm/compaction: handle free_pages_prepare() properly in compaction_free() (CVE-2026-72027) | HOL Guard CVE

High · CVSS 7.8CVE-2026-72027

mm/compaction: handle free_pages_prepare() properly in compaction_free()

Answer in brief

CVE-2026-72027 records a High severity (CVSS 7.8) vulnerability in mm/compaction: handle free_pages_prepare() properly in compaction_free(). The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Analysis pending evidence review

HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.

Published Aug 15, 2026Updated Aug 17, 2026Source checked Sep 29, 2026First seen by HOL Aug 15, 2026Material review Aug 17, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: High · CVSS 7.8
Exploitation: Not marked as known exploited
Affected software: 2 mapped packages or products
Fix availability: Available

Why this deserves its current priority

CVSS is 7.8. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.

Analysis status

Analysis pending evidence review

Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.

Affected scope and exposure questions

The current feed maps Linux/Linux (generic), Linux/Linux (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
Linux/Linuxgeneric	>=733aea0b3a7bba0451dfc19322665de13a5b7af4 <de8577db09039d4950239b01446ab5ead9028ab4 \|\| >=733aea0b3a7bba0451dfc19322665de13a5b7af4 <018d7ad26cb8bdfe9842f2ca68a42b0bfdcc82fe \|\| >=733aea0b3a7bba0451dfc19322665de13a5b7af4 <23afc3786acf359c135093893fb43a436768c832 \|\| >=733aea0b3a7bba0451dfc19322665de13a5b7af4 <7da7d599b8a83271c464adfd5ef160202b470570	de8577db09039d4950239b01446ab5ead9028ab4, 018d7ad26cb8bdfe9842f2ca68a42b0bfdcc82fe, 23afc3786acf359c135093893fb43a436768c832, 7da7d599b8a83271c464adfd5ef160202b470570
Linux/Linuxgeneric	6.9	Not reported

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for Linux/Linux, Linux/Linux.
Review the reported fix. Update Linux/Linux to de8577db09039d4950239b01446ab5ead9028ab4 if you use the affected versions. Test the change in a non-production environment first.

Evidence timeline and material changes

Published upstream
Aug 15, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
Source modified
Aug 17, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
First seen by HOL
Aug 15, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/compaction: handle free_pages_prepare() properly in compaction_free() free_pages_prepare() can fail but compaction_free() does not handle the failure case. Failed pages should not be added back to cc->freepages for future use, since they can be either PageHWPoison or free_page_is_bad() and might cause data corruption.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.