Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2026-64023 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 ea28b286649b70618e9dd3e895812417a7712a11, 7ac4183a41ba048af89eddd82fe8be64619d0871, 30c073cab97afb31901f94de9605177b6b84367e 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 0.12% 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 ea28b286649b70618e9dd3e895812417a7712a11 or 7ac4183a41ba048af89eddd82fe8be64619d0871 or 30c073cab97afb31901f94de9605177b6b84367e, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 6.18.34 or 7.0.11, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 86f162e73d2d81ef6d819c06a3b6c2fda77a79b8 up to, but not including, ea28b286649b70618e9dd3e895812417a7712a11; 86f162e73d2d81ef6d819c06a3b6c2fda77a79b8 up to, but not including, 7ac4183a41ba048af89eddd82fe8be64619d0871; 86f162e73d2d81ef6d819c06a3b6c2fda77a79b8 up to, but not including, 30c073cab97afb31901f94de9605177b6b84367e; 6.16 | ea28b286649b70618e9dd3e895812417a7712a11, 7ac4183a41ba048af89eddd82fe8be64619d0871, 30c073cab97afb31901f94de9605177b6b84367e |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 6.16 up to, but not including, 6.18.34; 6.19 up to, but not including, 7.0.11; 7.1 | 6.18.34, 7.0.11 |
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: gpio: aggregator: fix a potential use-after-free On error we free aggr->lookups->dev_id before removing the entry from the lookup table. If a concurrent thread calls gpiod_find() before we remove the entry, it could iterate over the list and call gpiod_match_lookup_table() which unconditionally dereferences dev_id when calling strcmp(). Reverse the order of cleanup.
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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