CVE-2026-72068

CVE-2026-72068

published August 15, 2026

CVSS
—
EPSS
0%
Percentile
11.8
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

posix-cpu-timers: Use u64 multiplication in update_rlimit_cpu()

update_rlimit_cpu() converts the RLIMIT_CPU value to nanoseconds with

u64 nsecs = rlim_new * NSEC_PER_SEC;

On 32-bit kernels both rlim_new (unsigned long) and NSEC_PER_SEC

(1000000000L) are 32-bit, so the multiplication is performed in unsigned

long and truncated for rlim_new > 4 seconds before being widened to u64.

The same file already casts to u64 for the matching computation in

check_process_timers():

u64 softns = (u64)soft * NSEC_PER_SEC;

As a result, the truncated value is installed into the CPUCLOCK_PROF

expiry cache (nextevt), causing the process CPU timer to be programmed

to fire prematurely for any RLIMIT_CPU soft limit >= 5 seconds. The

actual SIGXCPU/SIGKILL decision in check_process_timers() already casts

to u64 and is therefore correct, so limit enforcement is not broken;

only the expiry-cache programming is wrong. Apply the same cast here so

both paths convert rlim_cur identically.

64-bit kernels are unaffected.

The record
Technical detail
CVSS
Not scored
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.00220 · 11.8th percentile
Published
2026-08-15T10:21Z
References (8)
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 15 AUG 05:52Z
    posix-cpu-timers: Use u64 multiplication in update_rlimit_cpu()
    cvelistv5