CVE-2026-72711

Lean 4 before 4.32.2 Kernel Accepts Opaque Declaration With an Unbound Free Variable

MEDIUM
6.3
CVSS Score
Published: August 24, 2026 at 08:08 PM UTC
Updated: October 26, 2026 at 02:17 AM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorLEAN4

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Severity
MEDIUM6.3
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.2%
SSVC
PoC

Description

The Lean 4 kernel does not check that the body of an opaque declaration is closed. environment::add_opaque omits the check_no_metavar_no_fvar call that the definition and theorem paths perform, so a value containing a free variable that is absent from the local context is not rejected outright. A metaprogram can first cause the kernel to create a temporary local of type False and record its type in the type checker's inference cache, then restore the local context while that cache entry persists on the same type checker instance, and finally submit an opaque declaration whose value is the now-unbound variable. The cache lookup answers before the branch that would test membership of the local context, so the kernel infers the cached type and admits an opaque constant of type False, from which any proposition follows. The declaration is accepted through the ordinary checked path at maximum kernel checking, without sorry, unsafeCast, debug.skipKernelTC, addDeclWithoutChecking, foreign code or a modified .olean file, and the result carries no axioms. Fixed in 4.32.2 by adding the missing closure check.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

0 ≤ v < 4.32.20
Affected range stops below 4.32.2, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet. What the record does show:

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCPoCNot automatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

6.3MEDIUMVulnCheck
Attack Vector
LOCAL
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
NONE
User Interaction
REQUIRED
Scope
CHANGED
Confidentiality
NONE
Integrity
HIGH
Availability
NONE
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusDEFERRED
CWE
CWE-20

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