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VulniPulse
Advisory severityMedium5.5Vendor: LowRed Hat Linux

Medium [CVE-2026-72068] Use u64 multiplication in update_rlimit_cpu

This medium-severity Red Hat Linux advisory covers CVE-2026-72068 affecting Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.

Aggregated and source-linked by VulniPulse. Data sources, validation and limitations.

CVE-2026-72068 Source published Source updated

VulniPulse record published Record updated

Affected products & platforms
Red Hat LinuxLinux Kernel
Open source advisory

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Summary

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.

An integer truncation vulnerability occurs in the `update_rlimit_cpu()` function when converting the `RLIMIT_CPU` value to nanoseconds. While actual resource limit enforcement remains correct, this premature timer expiry could lead to a denial of service for affected processes.

Affected versions

No affected-version range was extracted from the source record. The vendor advisory is authoritative — check it before change work.

Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 25 days ago·verify at source

Fixed versions

No fixed release is recorded yet. That does not prove no patch exists — confirm against the vendor advisory.

Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 25 days ago·verify at source

Mitigation

The source record does not include mitigation steps. That is not a statement that no fix exists — read the vendor advisory below for the authoritative guidance.

Official advisory · medium-confidence parse· fetched 25 days ago·verify at source

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