Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2026-46097 is a high-severity use after 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 a516d43886623e3cca5fa3446bed8fc7c7982be2, 9f6c5e7b747d40e1c65cbfcb975857d25154c075, f5f9e07060519e2287e99019a6de1eb3ebb65c37 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 a516d43886623e3cca5fa3446bed8fc7c7982be2 or 9f6c5e7b747d40e1c65cbfcb975857d25154c075 or f5f9e07060519e2287e99019a6de1eb3ebb65c37, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 6.18.27 or 7.0.4, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 68743c500c6eafcd0b16dc6067fea5bca0795eef up to, but not including, a516d43886623e3cca5fa3446bed8fc7c7982be2; 68743c500c6eafcd0b16dc6067fea5bca0795eef up to, but not including, 9f6c5e7b747d40e1c65cbfcb975857d25154c075; 68743c500c6eafcd0b16dc6067fea5bca0795eef up to, but not including, f5f9e07060519e2287e99019a6de1eb3ebb65c37; 6.17 | a516d43886623e3cca5fa3446bed8fc7c7982be2, 9f6c5e7b747d40e1c65cbfcb975857d25154c075, f5f9e07060519e2287e99019a6de1eb3ebb65c37 |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 6.17 up to, but not including, 6.18.27; 6.19 up to, but not including, 7.0.4 | 6.18.27, 7.0.4 |
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: Input: edt-ft5x06 - fix use-after-free in debugfs teardown The commit 68743c500c6e ("Input: edt-ft5x06 - use per-client debugfs directory") removed the manual debugfs teardown, relying on the I2C core to handle it. However, this creates a window where debugfs files are still accessible after edt_ft5x06_ts_teardown_debugfs() frees tsdata->raw_buffer. To prevent a use-after-free, protect the freeing of raw_buffer with the device mutex and set raw_buffer to NULL. The debugfs read function already checks if raw_buffer is NULL under the same mutex, so this safely avoids the use-after-free.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Use After Free
The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory belongs to the code that operates on the new pointer.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.
- When freeing pointers, be sure to set them to NULL once they are freed. However, the utilization of multiple or complex data structures may lower the usefulness of this strategy.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
- 8.1 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
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