---
id: CVE-2026-72389
title: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  bridge: stp: Fix a potential use-after-free when deleting a bridge

  The three STP timers are not supposed to be armed while the bridge is
  administratively down
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  bridge: stp: Fix a potential use-after-free when deleting a bridge

  The three STP timers are not supposed to be armed while the bridge is
  administratively down. They ar…
severity: high
cvss: 7.8
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <
    c86579b0a2d201792bcb59316629f4ba4758cfc8
  - >-
    Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <
    297a747f59bff6573196d7236178144d66524e68
  - >-
    Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <
    4c40eec06eeac37c58e47a6058eb32901218d5d4
  - >-
    Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <
    39283907a25e5caf0f2bd2947f6e56644b01e2b7
  - >-
    Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <
    b4b3458ef88df4798632619f018791d4344bcd92
  - >-
    Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <
    40cbfa3a28e0919469d1b086629bb3ce38a83593
  - >-
    Linux >= 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <
    2a00517db8de4be7df3d483b215c5544fb30a191
  - Linux 2.6.12
published: '2026-08-15'
updated: '2026-10-16'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-16T19:17:26.557'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72389'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/297a747f59bff6573196d7236178144d66524e68'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2a00517db8de4be7df3d483b215c5544fb30a191'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/39283907a25e5caf0f2bd2947f6e56644b01e2b7'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/40cbfa3a28e0919469d1b086629bb3ce38a83593'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4c40eec06eeac37c58e47a6058eb32901218d5d4'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b4b3458ef88df4798632619f018791d4344bcd92'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c86579b0a2d201792bcb59316629f4ba4758cfc8'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
tags:
  - nvd
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00164
epssPercentile: 0.05552
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: total
  timestamp: '2026-10-16T18:48:22.802710Z'
ingestedAt: '2026-10-16T19:46:24.401Z'
---

## Overview

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

bridge: stp: Fix a potential use-after-free when deleting a bridge

The three STP timers are not supposed to be armed while the bridge is
administratively down. They are synchronously deactivated when the
bridge is put administratively down and the various call sites check for
'IFF_UP' before arming them.

This check is missing from br_topology_change_detection() and it is
possible to engineer a situation in which the topology change timer is
armed while the bridge is administratively down, resulting in a
use-after-free [1] when the bridge is deleted.

Fix by adding the missing check and for good measures synchronously
shutdown the three timers when the bridge is deleted.

[1]
ODEBUG: free active (active state 0) object: ffff88811662b9b0 object type: timer_list hint: br_topology_change_timer_expired (net/bridge/br_stp_timer.c:120)
WARNING: lib/debugobjects.c:629 at debug_print_object+0x1bc/0x450, CPU#9: ip/359

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.