Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2026-46285 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 8408655ec8344511667b61d8257dc59c80ee3391, f5d2ed4ed47d3906e2495a3537a48b127f497a17, 2bf706fe7831b319f23a85b9728f961cfed40c3e 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 8408655ec8344511667b61d8257dc59c80ee3391 or f5d2ed4ed47d3906e2495a3537a48b127f497a17 or 2bf706fe7831b319f23a85b9728f961cfed40c3e or d26f8c361f751c188b7ebaf8189aa0258968fd98, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 5.10.258 or 5.15.209 or 6.1.175 or 6.6.140, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | c8ae3f744ddca0da164bcacee42d1d4b6fe7027d up to, but not including, 8408655ec8344511667b61d8257dc59c80ee3391; c8ae3f744ddca0da164bcacee42d1d4b6fe7027d up to, but not including, f5d2ed4ed47d3906e2495a3537a48b127f497a17; c8ae3f744ddca0da164bcacee42d1d4b6fe7027d up to, but not including, 2bf706fe7831b319f23a85b9728f961cfed40c3e; c8ae3f744ddca0da164bcacee42d1d4b6fe7027d up to, but not including, d26f8c361f751c188b7ebaf8189aa0258968fd98; c8ae3f744ddca0da164bcacee42d1d4b6fe7027d up to, but not including, 16f6588a3b7a2a20d10ad9b766be74c60ba347cc; c8ae3f744ddca0da164bcacee42d1d4b6fe7027d up to, but not including, d89044889ecd11b0c2f86663597246e9bdd25679; c8ae3f744ddca0da164bcacee42d1d4b6fe7027d up to, but not including, d49628d63d4e6bbc8a1621afb88e5fc901611bee; c8ae3f744ddca0da164bcacee42d1d4b6fe7027d up to, but not including, ca19808bc6fac7e29420d8508df569b346b3e339; and 1 more ranges | 8408655ec8344511667b61d8257dc59c80ee3391, f5d2ed4ed47d3906e2495a3537a48b127f497a17, 2bf706fe7831b319f23a85b9728f961cfed40c3e, d26f8c361f751c188b7ebaf8189aa0258968fd98, 16f6588a3b7a2a20d10ad9b766be74c60ba347cc, d89044889ecd11b0c2f86663597246e9bdd25679 |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 5.8 up to, but not including, 5.10.258; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.209; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.1.175; 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.6.140; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.12.86; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.18.27; 6.19 up to, but not including, 7.0.4 | 5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175, 6.6.140, 6.12.86, 6.18.27 |
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: mtd: docg3: fix use-after-free in docg3_release() In docg3_release(), the docg3 pointer is obtained from cascade->floors[0]->priv before the loop that calls doc_release_device() on each floor. doc_release_device() frees the docg3 struct via kfree(docg3) at line 1881. After the loop, docg3->cascade->bch dereferences the already-freed pointer. Fix this by accessing cascade->bch directly, which is equivalent since docg3->cascade points back to the same cascade struct, and is already available as a local variable. This also removes the now-unused docg3 local variable.
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
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/16f6588a3b7a2a20d10ad9b766be74c60ba347cc
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/2bf706fe7831b319f23a85b9728f961cfed40c3e
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/8408655ec8344511667b61d8257dc59c80ee3391
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/ca19808bc6fac7e29420d8508df569b346b3e339
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/d26f8c361f751c188b7ebaf8189aa0258968fd98
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/d49628d63d4e6bbc8a1621afb88e5fc901611bee
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/d89044889ecd11b0c2f86663597246e9bdd25679
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/f5d2ed4ed47d3906e2495a3537a48b127f497a17
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 8.4 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.3 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
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