CVE-2026-72104

What the bug is

The pcache target parses optional arguments as name/value pairs. A table that advertises one optional argument and supplies only a recognized option name, for example "cache_mode", reaches parse_cache_opts() with argc == 1. The parser consumes the name, decrements argc to zero, then calls dm_shift_arg() again for the value. dm_shift_arg() returns NULL when no arguments remain, and the following strcmp() dereferences that NULL pointer. Check that each recognized option has a value before consuming it. This keeps valid "cache_mode writeback" and "data_crc true/false" tables unchanged while making malformed tables fail during target construction with a precise missing-value error.

Where it lives

The fix touches these files. If the subsystem is one you do not use, the practical exposure is lower, though the package is still the vulnerable one.

drivers/md/dm-pcache/dm_pcache.c

What this is

DEVICE-MAPPER PCACHE TARGETMAINTAINERS section matched on drivers/md/dm-pcache/ · dm-devel@lists.linux.dev · Maintained

Check it on the machine

grep -wE 'CONFIG_DM_PCACHE|CONFIG_MD' /boot/config-$(uname -r)

Reads the booted kernel's own configuration, on the machine and nowhere else. =y is built in, =m is a module, and an is not set line means the code is not there.

Show whether Debian builds this, per release

Debian does not build this code in 2 releases. The build rule could not be established for 2 releases, so nothing is claimed about those.

• bookworm, trixie?
• forky, sidn

?

not established - no Makefile entry for the affected file

n

not enabled on any flavour - this release does not build the code

Where a release above reads "not established", no build rule for the affected file was found in that release's kernel tree. That is a gap in this lookup, not a finding that the code is absent.

Build switches

CONFIG_DM_PCACHE, CONFIG_MD

Reads as

all on means the file is compiled; any one off means it is not.

From the configuration Debian publishes for every kernel flavour it builds. It covers only the architectures Debian ships a linux-config package for, and nothing about a kernel you built yourself. Debian's own status above stays authoritative about the source package.MAINTAINERS kbuild Makefiles Debian linux-config packages

Signals

Published

2026-08-15 (2 months ago)source

CVSS

no vector published, unrated

Attack vector

not published

EPSS

0.21%, higher than 10.0% of all CVEssource

CISA KEV

not listedthe KEV catalogue

Debian urgency

unimportantsource

Subsystem

drivers/md

Upstream fixes

The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source

Introduced	Fixed in	Commit
6.18	6.18.40	1247615aadb7
6.18	7.1.5	0cbe13fe5403
6.18	7.2	d9c631e3fbd4