Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2026-53098 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 55159f1fa30bef03e01af469823c1de103a4a884, 6d5202409467d621b6d1dfd7fc7dadb997fe66d2, e6856af8a22a8e2cd18241a465ed00c2301b3a5e 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 55159f1fa30bef03e01af469823c1de103a4a884 or 6d5202409467d621b6d1dfd7fc7dadb997fe66d2 or e6856af8a22a8e2cd18241a465ed00c2301b3a5e or 6b7cbb13c838cf2a5f2e7be0e96fe15250087939, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 6.6.141 or 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 | 4bf3f4755611e3ae4cca58469e3c1d73be9c8093 up to, but not including, 55159f1fa30bef03e01af469823c1de103a4a884; 4dbcb9125cc3e10a6d879c10e4f5816d05a87c49 up to, but not including, 6d5202409467d621b6d1dfd7fc7dadb997fe66d2; 4dbcb9125cc3e10a6d879c10e4f5816d05a87c49 up to, but not including, e6856af8a22a8e2cd18241a465ed00c2301b3a5e; 4dbcb9125cc3e10a6d879c10e4f5816d05a87c49 up to, but not including, 6b7cbb13c838cf2a5f2e7be0e96fe15250087939; 4dbcb9125cc3e10a6d879c10e4f5816d05a87c49 up to, but not including, 21ce6d867867645fff0ef657be18f61d9f39dcd8; 4dbcb9125cc3e10a6d879c10e4f5816d05a87c49 up to, but not including, 1146d0946b5358fad24812bd39d68f31cd40cc34; 6.2 | 55159f1fa30bef03e01af469823c1de103a4a884, 6d5202409467d621b6d1dfd7fc7dadb997fe66d2, e6856af8a22a8e2cd18241a465ed00c2301b3a5e, 6b7cbb13c838cf2a5f2e7be0e96fe15250087939, 21ce6d867867645fff0ef657be18f61d9f39dcd8, 1146d0946b5358fad24812bd39d68f31cd40cc34 |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.6.141; 6.7 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 | 6.6.141, 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: mt7915: fix use-after-free bugs in mt7915_mac_dump_work() When the mt7915 pci chip is detaching, the mt7915_crash_data is released in mt7915_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 mt7915_mac_dump_work(). The race condition can occur as follows: CPU 0 (removal path) | CPU 1 (workqueue) mt7915_pci_remove() | mt7915_sys_recovery_set() mt7915_unregister_device() | mt7915_reset() mt7915_coredump_unregister() | queue_work() vfree(dev->coredump.crash_data) | mt7915_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 mt7915_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
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/1146d0946b5358fad24812bd39d68f31cd40cc34
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/21ce6d867867645fff0ef657be18f61d9f39dcd8
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/6b7cbb13c838cf2a5f2e7be0e96fe15250087939
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/6d5202409467d621b6d1dfd7fc7dadb997fe66d2
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/e6856af8a22a8e2cd18241a465ed00c2301b3a5e
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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