SEPTEMBER 18, 2026
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Case File

CVE-2026-72844

MEDIUM · CVSS 6.3 EPSS 0.18% Public Exploit

Source: NVD + CISA KEV + EPSS · Published 2026-08-20 · Last synced 2026-09-18

CyberRota Analysis

AI-Generated

The vulnerability exists in the Lean 4 kernel, where it fails to properly verify the type of structures in projection expressions, allowing ill-typed nested inductives to bypass type checks. This can lead to type confusion, enabling an attacker to derive any proposition from a proof of False, effectively compromising the integrity of the Lean environment. Developers and researchers using Lean 4, particularly those working with metaprograms or importing dependencies, should prioritize addressing this issue to prevent potential exploitation.

Public Exploit Signal

A public exploit, PoC, GitHub repository or Metasploit reference was detected for this CVE.

Detected Signals
exploit

Note: these links are listed for security research and verification purposes only.

CVE
CVE-2026-72844
Severity
MEDIUM
CVSS
6.3
EPSS
0.18%

Original NVD Description

The Lean 4 kernel does not verify that the structure named in a projection expression matches the type of the value being projected, and environment::add_inductive in src/kernel/inductive.cpp did not type check the nested inductive applications that are replaced by auxiliary types, so their parametric arguments escaped checking. A metaprogram running in the Lean process can register an ill-typed nested inductive whose constructor applies a .proj C 0 projection to a value of the unrelated type W, and the kernel admits the declaration through the ordinary checked addDecl path at maximum kernel checking, without sorry, unsafeCast, debug.skipKernelTC, addDeclWithoutChecking, FFI, or a modified .olean file. The result is a type confusion yielding a proof of False that carries no axioms, from which any proposition can be derived. The published proof of concept additionally pads two expressions until their hashes and approximate depths collide, which defeats kernel caching; that is the technique used to reach the flaw, not its cause. Exploitation requires running a metaprogram in-process, for example by building a project or importing a malicious Lake dependency.