Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2026-63918 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 ee80455feffb9cb62b5b58715cabeff495e666b2, 947013fd7c8c35dd5856557b215840098a3f67f8, 782d60a6596aee9b29c2eecfa70033899278bf65 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 0.16% 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 ee80455feffb9cb62b5b58715cabeff495e666b2 or 947013fd7c8c35dd5856557b215840098a3f67f8 or 782d60a6596aee9b29c2eecfa70033899278bf65 or 05f95729ca844704d15e49ce14868af4b403b32b, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 6.12.93 or 6.18.35 or 7.0.12, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | abe7a1a7d0b69e63b1bca5f9531023a52336784f up to, but not including, ee80455feffb9cb62b5b58715cabeff495e666b2; abe7a1a7d0b69e63b1bca5f9531023a52336784f up to, but not including, 947013fd7c8c35dd5856557b215840098a3f67f8; abe7a1a7d0b69e63b1bca5f9531023a52336784f up to, but not including, 782d60a6596aee9b29c2eecfa70033899278bf65; abe7a1a7d0b69e63b1bca5f9531023a52336784f up to, but not including, 05f95729ca844704d15e49ce14868af4b403b32b; 6.12 | ee80455feffb9cb62b5b58715cabeff495e666b2, 947013fd7c8c35dd5856557b215840098a3f67f8, 782d60a6596aee9b29c2eecfa70033899278bf65, 05f95729ca844704d15e49ce14868af4b403b32b |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 6.12 up to, but not including, 6.12.93; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.18.35; 6.19 up to, but not including, 7.0.12; 7.1 | 6.12.93, 6.18.35, 7.0.12 |
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 CNA.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: l2tp: use refcount_inc_not_zero in l2tp_session_get_by_ifname A reader in l2tp_session_get_by_ifname() can return a pointer to a session whose refcount has reached zero. The getter takes its reference with plain refcount_inc(), but every other session getter in the same file (l2tp_v2_session_get, l2tp_v3_session_get, and the corresponding _get_next variants) uses refcount_inc_not_zero() because the IDR/RCU lookup can race with refcount_dec_and_test() -> l2tp_session_free() -> kfree_rcu(). The ifname getter is the only outlier; the inconsistency was raised on-list after 979c017803c4 ("l2tp: use list_del_rcu in l2tp_session_unhash"). A reader inside rcu_read_lock_bh() that matches session->ifname can be preempted between the strcmp() and the refcount_inc(). If the last reference drops on another CPU in that window, the reader's refcount_inc() runs on a counter that has reached zero. refcount_t catches the addition-on-zero, prints "refcount_t: addition on 0; use-after-free", saturates the counter, and returns the saturated pointer to the caller. Session memory is held live by the in-flight RCU read section, but the kfree_rcu() callback queued from l2tp_session_free() will free it once the grace period closes; a caller that dereferences the returned session past that point hits a slab-use-after-free. On PREEMPT_RT local_bh_disable() is a per-CPU sleeping lock and the preemption window is real; on stock PREEMPT kernels local_bh_disable() is a preempt_count increment that closes the cross-CPU race in practice (see below). Use refcount_inc_not_zero() and continue the list walk on failure, matching the other session getters in the file. The ifname getter is the only session getter in net/l2tp/ that still uses the bare refcount_inc() pattern; this change restores file-internal consistency. The success path is unchanged.
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
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
- 8.8 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 8.8 High severity
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