Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2026-46301 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 43334836b907adc21eab3079d2e6b26754468786, 36e58c436d2c2a797800427dc04d74ffd8b6ce1c, 4ca90deeca1c7dd72c1c380ba8143565516def2d 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 0.12% 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 43334836b907adc21eab3079d2e6b26754468786 or 36e58c436d2c2a797800427dc04d74ffd8b6ce1c or 4ca90deeca1c7dd72c1c380ba8143565516def2d or d79e92161b65832e0b8cad5f3d84d17e5cd7a970, 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 | c37f3c2749b53225d36faa5c583203c5f12ae15b up to, but not including, 43334836b907adc21eab3079d2e6b26754468786; c37f3c2749b53225d36faa5c583203c5f12ae15b up to, but not including, 36e58c436d2c2a797800427dc04d74ffd8b6ce1c; c37f3c2749b53225d36faa5c583203c5f12ae15b up to, but not including, 4ca90deeca1c7dd72c1c380ba8143565516def2d; c37f3c2749b53225d36faa5c583203c5f12ae15b up to, but not including, d79e92161b65832e0b8cad5f3d84d17e5cd7a970; c37f3c2749b53225d36faa5c583203c5f12ae15b up to, but not including, 8822980668c96b5aa251c1e2daec1873262b8f3f; c37f3c2749b53225d36faa5c583203c5f12ae15b up to, but not including, d50ef3553acbacce6f2843304d41d06dca358bb6; c37f3c2749b53225d36faa5c583203c5f12ae15b up to, but not including, 0e8e57f9737ea257634db1d152fc430a0788a3e1; c37f3c2749b53225d36faa5c583203c5f12ae15b up to, but not including, 9d72732fe70c11424bc90ed466c7ccfa58b42a9a; and 1 more ranges | 43334836b907adc21eab3079d2e6b26754468786, 36e58c436d2c2a797800427dc04d74ffd8b6ce1c, 4ca90deeca1c7dd72c1c380ba8143565516def2d, d79e92161b65832e0b8cad5f3d84d17e5cd7a970, 8822980668c96b5aa251c1e2daec1873262b8f3f, d50ef3553acbacce6f2843304d41d06dca358bb6 |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 3.1 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, 6.12.88; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.18.30; 6.19 up to, but not including, 7.0.7 | 5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175, 6.6.140, 6.12.88, 6.18.30 |
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: spi: topcliff-pch: fix use-after-free on unbind Give the driver a chance to flush its queue before releasing the DMA buffers on driver unbind
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/0e8e57f9737ea257634db1d152fc430a0788a3e1
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/36e58c436d2c2a797800427dc04d74ffd8b6ce1c
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/43334836b907adc21eab3079d2e6b26754468786
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/4ca90deeca1c7dd72c1c380ba8143565516def2d
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/8822980668c96b5aa251c1e2daec1873262b8f3f
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/9d72732fe70c11424bc90ed466c7ccfa58b42a9a
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/d50ef3553acbacce6f2843304d41d06dca358bb6
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/d79e92161b65832e0b8cad5f3d84d17e5cd7a970
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 8.4 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.3 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
Spotted an error? Tell us.