CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-53117NVD status: Analyzed

Linux: Use After Free

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-53117 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 c4295487124f461405e1ef64dfa8c4ab0cb7ebcf, 106d594711e97762788046c5bbb94f580abc4bf4, 2081957d8c323ffb58a10bc64837717ac5a042a1 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 0.18% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Linux to c4295487124f461405e1ef64dfa8c4ab0cb7ebcf or 106d594711e97762788046c5bbb94f580abc4bf4 or 2081957d8c323ffb58a10bc64837717ac5a042a1 or b660ba045b2b22cf3b4be72773de00cb48f47be5, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. 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

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinuxebc3d179150347f3b6d97d8f249378bb2218f95e up to, but not including, c4295487124f461405e1ef64dfa8c4ab0cb7ebcf; ebc3d179150347f3b6d97d8f249378bb2218f95e up to, but not including, 106d594711e97762788046c5bbb94f580abc4bf4; ebc3d179150347f3b6d97d8f249378bb2218f95e up to, but not including, 2081957d8c323ffb58a10bc64837717ac5a042a1; ebc3d179150347f3b6d97d8f249378bb2218f95e up to, but not including, b660ba045b2b22cf3b4be72773de00cb48f47be5; ebc3d179150347f3b6d97d8f249378bb2218f95e up to, but not including, ac4d8bb6e2e13e8684a76ea48d13ebaaaf5c24c4; 5.3c4295487124f461405e1ef64dfa8c4ab0cb7ebcf, 106d594711e97762788046c5bbb94f580abc4bf4, 2081957d8c323ffb58a10bc64837717ac5a042a1, b660ba045b2b22cf3b4be72773de00cb48f47be5, ac4d8bb6e2e13e8684a76ea48d13ebaaaf5c24c4
LinuxLinux Kernel5.3 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, 7.0.106.6.141, 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: s390/cio: use generic driver_override infrastructure When a driver is probed through __driver_attach(), the bus' match() callback is called without the device lock held, thus accessing the driver_override field without a lock, which can cause a UAF. Fix this by using the driver-core driver_override infrastructure taking care of proper locking internally. Note that calling match() from __driver_attach() without the device lock held is intentional. [1]

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.

More Use After Free vulnerabilities (CWE-416)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities

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