Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2026-53157 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 d59794337ea496042288c7c68356d9b9ca7f46a9, 6cd7067d6e4b0b2033ba2f918ecbd54dc2af3763, 2ec8011cce0cd0fc7a5068585d867fc08d508578 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 0.25% 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 d59794337ea496042288c7c68356d9b9ca7f46a9 or 6cd7067d6e4b0b2033ba2f918ecbd54dc2af3763 or 2ec8011cce0cd0fc7a5068585d867fc08d508578 or 09c9b92c2010481160245244ea8fa1d06d5d4ae0, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 5.10.260 or 5.15.211 or 6.1.177 or 6.6.144, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | eeb74a9d45f781ec6f47b9e0a75a6a427b53f165 up to, but not including, d59794337ea496042288c7c68356d9b9ca7f46a9; eeb74a9d45f781ec6f47b9e0a75a6a427b53f165 up to, but not including, 6cd7067d6e4b0b2033ba2f918ecbd54dc2af3763; eeb74a9d45f781ec6f47b9e0a75a6a427b53f165 up to, but not including, 2ec8011cce0cd0fc7a5068585d867fc08d508578; eeb74a9d45f781ec6f47b9e0a75a6a427b53f165 up to, but not including, 09c9b92c2010481160245244ea8fa1d06d5d4ae0; eeb74a9d45f781ec6f47b9e0a75a6a427b53f165 up to, but not including, bd2ab4d800fc26814d89328d87b5f97ef6aa906a; eeb74a9d45f781ec6f47b9e0a75a6a427b53f165 up to, but not including, 52b8f5ef82c886f7cd24617915e4b1579ddfd001; eeb74a9d45f781ec6f47b9e0a75a6a427b53f165 up to, but not including, bff309ea51f1395c1ef8be8b75ce62d28a319113; eeb74a9d45f781ec6f47b9e0a75a6a427b53f165 up to, but not including, 71de0177b28da751f407581a4515cf4d762f6296; and 1 more ranges | d59794337ea496042288c7c68356d9b9ca7f46a9, 6cd7067d6e4b0b2033ba2f918ecbd54dc2af3763, 2ec8011cce0cd0fc7a5068585d867fc08d508578, 09c9b92c2010481160245244ea8fa1d06d5d4ae0, bd2ab4d800fc26814d89328d87b5f97ef6aa906a, 52b8f5ef82c886f7cd24617915e4b1579ddfd001 |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 2.6.33 up to, but not including, 5.10.260; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.211; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.1.177; 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.6.144; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.12.95; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.18.36; 6.19 up to, but not including, 7.0.13; 7.1 | 5.10.260, 5.15.211, 6.1.177, 6.6.144, 6.12.95, 6.18.36 |
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: net: phonet: free phonet_device after RCU grace period phonet_device_destroy() removes a phonet_device from the per-net device list with list_del_rcu(), but frees it immediately. RCU readers walking the same list can still hold a pointer to the object after it has been removed, leading to a slab-use-after-free. Use kfree_rcu(), matching the lifetime rule already used by phonet_address_del() for the same object type.
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/09c9b92c2010481160245244ea8fa1d06d5d4ae0
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/2ec8011cce0cd0fc7a5068585d867fc08d508578
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/52b8f5ef82c886f7cd24617915e4b1579ddfd001
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/6cd7067d6e4b0b2033ba2f918ecbd54dc2af3763
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/71de0177b28da751f407581a4515cf4d762f6296
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/bd2ab4d800fc26814d89328d87b5f97ef6aa906a
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/bff309ea51f1395c1ef8be8b75ce62d28a319113
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/d59794337ea496042288c7c68356d9b9ca7f46a9
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.2 High severity
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