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CVE-2026-72016· NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

cpu/hotplug: Fix NULL kobject warning in cpuhp_smt_enable()

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cpu/hotplug: Fix NULL kobject warning in cpuhp_smt_enable() On arm64, when booting with `maxcpus` greater than the number of present CPUs (e.g., QEMU -smp cpus=4,maxcpus=8), some CPUs are marked as 'present' but have not yet been registered via register_cpu(). Consequently, the per-cpu device objects for these CPUs are not yet initialized. In cpuhp_smt_enable(), the code iterates over all present CPUs. Calling _cpu_up() for these unregistered CPUs eventually leads to sysfs_create_group() being called with a NULL kobject (or a kobject without a directory), triggering the following warning in fs/sysfs/group.c: WARNING: fs/sysfs/group.c:137 at internal_create_group+0x41c/0x4bc, CPU#2: sh/181 [...] Call trace: internal_create_group+0x41c/0x4bc (P) sysfs_create_group+0x18/0x24 topology_add_dev+0x1c/0x28 cpuhp_invoke_callback+0x104/0x20c __cpuhp_invoke_callback_range+0x94/0x11c _cpu_up+0x200/0x37c When booting with ACPI, arm64 smp_prepare_cpus() currently sets all enumerated CPUs as "present" regardless of their status in the MADT. This causes issues with SMT hotplug control. For instance, with QEMU's "-smp 4,maxcpus=8" configuration, the MADT GICC entries are populated as follows: 1. The first four CPUs: `Enabled` set but `Online Capable` not set. 2. The remaining four CPUs: `Online Capable` set but `Enabled` not set to support potential hot-plugging. Fix this by: 1. When booting with ACPI, checking the ACPI_MADT_ENABLED flag in the GICC entry before calling set_cpu_present() during SMP initialization. 2. Properly managing the present mask in acpi_map_cpu() and acpi_unmap_cpu() to support actual CPU hotplug events, This aligns with other architectures like x86 and LoongArch. 3. Update the arm64 CPU hotplug documentation to no longer state that all online-capable vCPUs are marked as present by the kernel at boot time. This ensures that only physically available or explicitly enabled CPUs are in the present mask, keeping the SMT control logic consistent with the actual hardware state.

—No exploit Fix available
Published
Aug 15, 2026
Updated
Aug 17, 2026
EPSS
0.2% · 10th percentile
CWE
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Action score

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Low priority for now.

CVSS
0 / 40 · —
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.2%

Affected systems

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Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Linux). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Linux Linux

    • 6.15affected
    • eed4583bcf9a60f8d6dd3a3c7c94dea28134b1eb and later · before ccdf1770a4ba27e31599d24ad970d77a371c7912affected · git
    • eed4583bcf9a60f8d6dd3a3c7c94dea28134b1eb and later · before 901a489d89ee9c854624c8444090e38e70aed234affected · git
    • eed4583bcf9a60f8d6dd3a3c7c94dea28134b1eb and later · before f9a82544c7174851f5c7524622f5966dcafd3a47affected · git
    • before 6.15not affected · semver
    • 6.18.40 and later · up to and including 6.18.*not affected · semver
    • 7.1.5 and later · up to and including 7.1.*not affected · semver
    • 7.2 and laternot affected · original_commit_for_fix

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:14linuxbefore 7.1.5-17.1.5-1

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Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Linux Linux901a489d89ee9c854624c8444090e38e70aed234Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxccdf1770a4ba27e31599d24ad970d77a371c7912Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxf9a82544c7174851f5c7524622f5966dcafd3a47Vendor (CNA)
debian:linux7.1.5-1 · Debian:14Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

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Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

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EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

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No commit or PR link among the references.

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No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

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Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

No CVSS vector for this record, so attack conditions can't be derived.

Weakness class (CWE)

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Attack context

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Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

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References

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