CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-23387NVD status: Analyzed

Linux: Double Free

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-23387 is a high-severity double free 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 95b14ecc56881dd9a187e1e84dd0daa88ff22c5d, 188ba3468cb7c098c62609d82e9fc58d29ead7f4, ea07fcfbba4301839db3784f09955d9fa3e98090 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 0.13% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Linux to 95b14ecc56881dd9a187e1e84dd0daa88ff22c5d or 188ba3468cb7c098c62609d82e9fc58d29ead7f4 or ea07fcfbba4301839db3784f09955d9fa3e98090 or 1e0465139fd9caee7ffefe285ef7d5f21919e474, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 6.6.130 or 6.12.77 or 6.18 or 6.18.17, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinux9026f31a520d43cc01eb1c08938fc19efadd78cc up to, but not including, 95b14ecc56881dd9a187e1e84dd0daa88ff22c5d; 36f91eeffd03f5c52406e0c4e2e0fb040307d00c up to, but not including, 188ba3468cb7c098c62609d82e9fc58d29ead7f4; 9b07cdf86a0b90556f5b68a6b20b35833b558df3 up to, but not including, ea07fcfbba4301839db3784f09955d9fa3e98090; 9b07cdf86a0b90556f5b68a6b20b35833b558df3 up to, but not including, 1e0465139fd9caee7ffefe285ef7d5f21919e474; 9b07cdf86a0b90556f5b68a6b20b35833b558df3 up to, but not including, fd5bed798f45eb3a178ad527b43ab92705faaf8a; d7adbba9298fd74dde0abed5c93312c08c9e6507; 6.6.118 up to, but not including, 6.6.130; 6.12.60 up to, but not including, 6.12.77; and 2 more ranges95b14ecc56881dd9a187e1e84dd0daa88ff22c5d, 188ba3468cb7c098c62609d82e9fc58d29ead7f4, ea07fcfbba4301839db3784f09955d9fa3e98090, 1e0465139fd9caee7ffefe285ef7d5f21919e474, fd5bed798f45eb3a178ad527b43ab92705faaf8a, 6.6.130
LinuxLinux Kernel6.6.118 up to, but not including, 6.6.130; 6.12.60 up to, but not including, 6.12.77; 6.17.10 up to, but not including, 6.18; 6.18.1 up to, but not including, 6.18.17; 6.19 up to, but not including, 6.19.7; 6.18; 7.06.6.130, 6.12.77, 6.18, 6.18.17, 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 NVD.

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: pinctrl: cirrus: cs42l43: Fix double-put in cs42l43_pin_probe() devm_add_action_or_reset() already invokes the action on failure, so the explicit put causes a double-put.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Double Free

The product calls free() twice on the same memory address.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.
  • Ensure that each allocation is freed only once. After freeing a chunk, set the pointer to NULL to ensure the pointer cannot be freed again. In complicated error conditions, be sure that clean-up routines respect the state of allocation properly. If the language is object oriented, ensure that object destructors delete each chunk of memory only once.
  • Use a static analysis tool to find double free instances.

More Double Free vulnerabilities (CWE-415)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Double Free vulnerabilities

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