CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-46125NVD status: Undergoing Analysis

Linux: Use After Free

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-46125 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 out of 10. It can be exploited from the same local network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 18fed0a209500bfea5c4c08609ec93855e4e500b, fe75fa1ac9a92990f7fc3d34b17808fd933071b2, afcbaed89cdc1a001b43270cbf5394bb4804270a 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 0.3% 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 18fed0a209500bfea5c4c08609ec93855e4e500b or fe75fa1ac9a92990f7fc3d34b17808fd933071b2 or afcbaed89cdc1a001b43270cbf5394bb4804270a or 9e28654f79f443bca9b29ff3ae7cf18abfba58a0, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 6.1.176 or 6.6.140 or 6.12.88 or 6.18.30, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinux81151ce462e533551f3284bfdb8e0f461c9220e6 up to, but not including, 18fed0a209500bfea5c4c08609ec93855e4e500b; 81151ce462e533551f3284bfdb8e0f461c9220e6 up to, but not including, fe75fa1ac9a92990f7fc3d34b17808fd933071b2; 81151ce462e533551f3284bfdb8e0f461c9220e6 up to, but not including, afcbaed89cdc1a001b43270cbf5394bb4804270a; 81151ce462e533551f3284bfdb8e0f461c9220e6 up to, but not including, 9e28654f79f443bca9b29ff3ae7cf18abfba58a0; 81151ce462e533551f3284bfdb8e0f461c9220e6 up to, but not including, 1c2b72ea89882aeb948340498391e69c58d466f1; 81151ce462e533551f3284bfdb8e0f461c9220e6 up to, but not including, 283fc9e44ff5b5ac967439b4951b80bd4299f4e4; 6.018fed0a209500bfea5c4c08609ec93855e4e500b, fe75fa1ac9a92990f7fc3d34b17808fd933071b2, afcbaed89cdc1a001b43270cbf5394bb4804270a, 9e28654f79f443bca9b29ff3ae7cf18abfba58a0, 1c2b72ea89882aeb948340498391e69c58d466f1, 283fc9e44ff5b5ac967439b4951b80bd4299f4e4
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 10Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update SupportNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 8Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Telecommunications Update ServiceNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Update Services for SAP SolutionsNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 9Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Update Services for SAP SolutionsNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 9.4 Update Services for SAP SolutionsNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 9.6 Extended Update SupportNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 6Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 7Not specified in the recordNot stated
SiemensSIMATIC S7-1500 TM MFP - GNU/Linux subsystemall versionsNot stated
LinuxLinux Kernel6.0 up to, but not including, 6.1.176; 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.6.140; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.12.88; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.18.30; 6.19 up to, but not including, 7.0.7; 7.16.1.176, 6.6.140, 6.12.88, 6.18.30, 7.0.7

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
AdjacentThe attacker must be on the same local network segment.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
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:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA.

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 3.18.8HighCNA
CVSS 3.16.8MediumCNA

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mac80211: remove station if connection prep fails If connection preparation fails for MLO connections, then the interface is completely reset to non-MLD. In this case, we must not keep the station since it's related to the link of the vif being removed. Delete an existing station. Any "new_sta" is already being removed, so that doesn't need changes. This fixes a use-after-free/double-free in debugfs if that's enabled, because a vif going from MLD (and to MLD, but that's not relevant here) recreates its entire debugfs.

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.

More Use After Free vulnerabilities (CWE-416)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities

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