Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2026-53097 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 533b1a9fa0128c75e40dd2d2c38a32b4e660741f, 180182a3f23ff79430a32ca2c4c1885368ceab48, aa4a31cd89f4fde5043ac613fe0e27014a60a60b 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 0.17% 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 533b1a9fa0128c75e40dd2d2c38a32b4e660741f or 180182a3f23ff79430a32ca2c4c1885368ceab48 or aa4a31cd89f4fde5043ac613fe0e27014a60a60b or 188e10f9ea3109d23c6b7643aa6ec2f5cb0faa6d, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 6.12.91 or 6.18.33 or 7.0.10, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 878161d5d4a469a6ef7f3fb4fe9f676bc508ee99 up to, but not including, 533b1a9fa0128c75e40dd2d2c38a32b4e660741f; 878161d5d4a469a6ef7f3fb4fe9f676bc508ee99 up to, but not including, 180182a3f23ff79430a32ca2c4c1885368ceab48; 878161d5d4a469a6ef7f3fb4fe9f676bc508ee99 up to, but not including, aa4a31cd89f4fde5043ac613fe0e27014a60a60b; 878161d5d4a469a6ef7f3fb4fe9f676bc508ee99 up to, but not including, 188e10f9ea3109d23c6b7643aa6ec2f5cb0faa6d; 878161d5d4a469a6ef7f3fb4fe9f676bc508ee99 up to, but not including, c8f62f73bbced3a79894655bdb0b625462d956fc; 6.4 | 533b1a9fa0128c75e40dd2d2c38a32b4e660741f, 180182a3f23ff79430a32ca2c4c1885368ceab48, aa4a31cd89f4fde5043ac613fe0e27014a60a60b, 188e10f9ea3109d23c6b7643aa6ec2f5cb0faa6d, c8f62f73bbced3a79894655bdb0b625462d956fc |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 6.4 up to, but not including, 6.12.91; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.18.33; 6.19 up to, but not including, 7.0.10 | 6.12.91, 6.18.33, 7.0.10 |
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: wifi: mt76: mt7996: fix use-after-free bugs in mt7996_mac_dump_work() When the mt7996 pci chip is detaching, the mt7996_crash_data is released in mt7996_coredump_unregister(). However, the work item dump_work may still be running or pending, leading to UAF bugs when the already freed crash_data is dereferenced again in mt7996_mac_dump_work(). The race condition can occur as follows: CPU 0 (removal path) | CPU 1 (workqueue) mt7996_pci_remove() | mt7996_sys_recovery_set() mt7996_unregister_device() | mt7996_reset() mt7996_coredump_unregister() | queue_work() vfree(dev->coredump.crash_data) | mt7996_mac_dump_work() | crash_data-> // UAF Fix this by ensuring dump_work is properly canceled before the crash_data is deallocated. Add cancel_work_sync() in mt7996_unregister_device() to synchronize with any pending or executing dump work.
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
Other references
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 9.6 Critical severity
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