Linux: Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
CVE-2026-23350 is a high-severity missing release of memory after effective lifetime vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists versions fae65b8a4449ae556990efcde8d74bec4adc5925, 99f9b5343cae80eb0dfe050baf6c86d722b3ba2e as the first without the flaw, so updating Linux to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.14% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Linux to fae65b8a4449ae556990efcde8d74bec4adc5925 or 99f9b5343cae80eb0dfe050baf6c86d722b3ba2e, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 6.19.7 or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 3c1fa4aa60b146d1fa73b2b87064303f8e4b7952 up to, but not including, fae65b8a4449ae556990efcde8d74bec4adc5925; 3c1fa4aa60b146d1fa73b2b87064303f8e4b7952 up to, but not including, 99f9b5343cae80eb0dfe050baf6c86d722b3ba2e; 6.19 | fae65b8a4449ae556990efcde8d74bec4adc5925, 99f9b5343cae80eb0dfe050baf6c86d722b3ba2e |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 6.19.1 up to, but not including, 6.19.7; 6.19; 7.0 | 6.19.7 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/xe/queue: Call fini on exec queue creation fail Every call to queue init should have a corresponding fini call. Skipping this would mean skipping removal of the queue from GuC list (which is part of guc_id allocation). A damaged queue stored in exec_queue_lookup list would lead to invalid memory reference, sooner or later. Call fini to free guc_id. This must be done before any internal LRCs are freed. Since the finalization with this extra call became very similar to __xe_exec_queue_fini(), reuse that. To make this reuse possible, alter xe_lrc_put() so it can survive NULL parameters, like other similar functions. v2: Reuse _xe_exec_queue_fini(). Make xe_lrc_put() aware of NULLs. (cherry picked from commit 393e5fea6f7d7054abc2c3d97a4cfe8306cd6079)
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
The product does not sufficiently track and release allocated memory after it has been used, making the memory unavailable for reallocation and reuse.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Choose a language or tool that provides automatic memory management, or makes manual memory management less error-prone. For example, glibc in Linux provides protection against free of invalid pointers. When using Xcode to target OS X or iOS, enable automatic reference counting (ARC). To help correctly and consistently manage memory when programming in C++, consider using a smart pointer class such as std
- Use an abstraction library to abstract away risky APIs. Not a complete solution.
- Consider using the Boehm-Demers-Weiser garbage collector (bdwgc), which can help avoid leaks.
More Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime vulnerabilities (CWE-401)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Recent Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime vulnerabilities
- 8.6 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
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