Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2026-46246 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 9fab0120907e6965168e55b1e17cb9dfaf262b86, 47abfc207ab02cf1297257e282e8048da63f0d08, 48e0f68b50c344bb2d78d65dd98f93e41276ee00 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.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Linux to 9fab0120907e6965168e55b1e17cb9dfaf262b86 or 47abfc207ab02cf1297257e282e8048da63f0d08 or 48e0f68b50c344bb2d78d65dd98f93e41276ee00 or 23067259919663580c6f81801847cfc7bd54fd1f, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 6.12.75 or 6.18.14 or 6.19.4, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | f8d7a3d21160a0cab4d15b81231f2a76b0fcee13 up to, but not including, 9fab0120907e6965168e55b1e17cb9dfaf262b86; f8d7a3d21160a0cab4d15b81231f2a76b0fcee13 up to, but not including, 47abfc207ab02cf1297257e282e8048da63f0d08; f8d7a3d21160a0cab4d15b81231f2a76b0fcee13 up to, but not including, 48e0f68b50c344bb2d78d65dd98f93e41276ee00; f8d7a3d21160a0cab4d15b81231f2a76b0fcee13 up to, but not including, 23067259919663580c6f81801847cfc7bd54fd1f; 6.7 | 9fab0120907e6965168e55b1e17cb9dfaf262b86, 47abfc207ab02cf1297257e282e8048da63f0d08, 48e0f68b50c344bb2d78d65dd98f93e41276ee00, 23067259919663580c6f81801847cfc7bd54fd1f |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.12.75; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.18.14; 6.19 up to, but not including, 6.19.4 | 6.12.75, 6.18.14, 6.19.4 |
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: power: supply: pm8916_lbc: Fix use-after-free for extcon in IRQ handler Using the `devm_` variant for requesting IRQ _before_ the `devm_` variant for allocating/registering the `extcon` handle, means that the `extcon` handle will be deallocated/unregistered _before_ the interrupt handler (since `devm_` naturally deallocates in reverse allocation order). This means that during removal, there is a race condition where an interrupt can fire just _after_ the `extcon` handle has been freed, *but* just _before_ the corresponding unregistration of the IRQ handler has run. This will lead to the IRQ handler calling `extcon_set_state_sync()` with a freed `extcon` handle. Which usually crashes the system or otherwise silently corrupts the memory... Fix this racy use-after-free by making sure the IRQ is requested _after_ the registration of the `extcon` handle.
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
- 8.4 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
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