---
id: CVE-2026-72375
title: >-
  kernel: afs: Fix reinitialisation of the inode, in particular ->lock_work
  (CVE-2026-72375)
summary: >-
  A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's AFS (Andrew File System) component.
  This vulnerability arises from improper reinitialization of internal work
  queue objects, specifically afs_vnode::lock_work. An attacker could
  potentially exploit th…
severity: medium
cvss: 5.5
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'
cvssSource: vendor
cwe: CWE-909
vendor: Red Hat
product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
affected:
  - enterprise_linux 10
  - enterprise_linux 9
published: '2026-08-15'
updated: '2026-10-16'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-16T23:14:14+00:00'
source: CSAF
sourceUrl: 'https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-72375.json'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-72375.json
  - url: 'https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-72375'
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2516462'
  - url: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72375'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72375'
  - url: >-
      https://lore.kernel.org/linux-cve-announce/2026081516-CVE-2026-72375-a181@gregkh/T
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/63d3f283858fae097fb09ddd4ce46bb0bc1f9d01'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ebfd13c0367adb43d7c0a72f5cd7e004e60c6b28'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5597fbd1e7c161914f20315a726e54025b0fdadb'
tags:
  - csaf
  - vex
  - red-hat
  - cve.org
  - score-dispute
epss: 0.00173
epssPercentile: 0.06302
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: total
  timestamp: '2026-10-16T18:48:13.426490Z'
scores:
  vendor: 5.5
  cna: 7.8
ingestedAt: '2026-10-16T19:46:24.401Z'
---

## Overview

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's AFS (Andrew File System) component. This vulnerability arises from improper reinitialization of internal work queue objects, specifically afs_vnode::lock_work. An attacker could potentially exploit this flaw to trigger kernel warnings and lead to system instability, resulting in a denial of service where the system becomes unresponsive.

## Vendor advisories

- **Red Hat VEX** · Moderate · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 · no fix planned: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 · updated 2026-10-16 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-72375.json)

**kernel: afs: Fix reinitialisation of the inode, in particular ->lock_work** — rated Moderate by Red Hat. Released 2026-08-15, updated 2026-10-16.

Affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

No fix planned:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

Not affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

## Remediation

Fix deferred

Workarounds / mitigations:

- Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability.