Linux: Double Free
CVE-2026-64224 is a high-severity double 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 8864b664d0443ecb8e56690e5546fcda5fe5e81b, eb72a65f2bb2cc059e2ca5d83de01fdf3ea602ad, e8fb3de2a8effcaf62bec2c56b93d8bb480371d1 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 0.13% 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 8864b664d0443ecb8e56690e5546fcda5fe5e81b or eb72a65f2bb2cc059e2ca5d83de01fdf3ea602ad or e8fb3de2a8effcaf62bec2c56b93d8bb480371d1, 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 | 3937b7308d4fce2793fa7fa56ed0faf0f8b6dc7a up to, but not including, 8864b664d0443ecb8e56690e5546fcda5fe5e81b; 3937b7308d4fce2793fa7fa56ed0faf0f8b6dc7a up to, but not including, eb72a65f2bb2cc059e2ca5d83de01fdf3ea602ad; 3937b7308d4fce2793fa7fa56ed0faf0f8b6dc7a up to, but not including, e8fb3de2a8effcaf62bec2c56b93d8bb480371d1; 6.13 | 8864b664d0443ecb8e56690e5546fcda5fe5e81b, eb72a65f2bb2cc059e2ca5d83de01fdf3ea602ad, e8fb3de2a8effcaf62bec2c56b93d8bb480371d1 |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 6.13 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 NVD.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: octeontx2-pf: fix double free in rvu_rep_rsrc_init() rvu_rep_rsrc_init() allocates queue memory before calling otx2_init_hw_resources(). When hardware resource setup fails, otx2_init_hw_resources() already unwinds the partially initialized SQ, CQ, and aura state before returning an error. The representor error path then calls otx2_free_hw_resources() again and can free the same resources a second time. Fix this by splitting the cleanup labels so that a failure from otx2_init_hw_resources() only releases queue memory. Keep the otx2_free_hw_resources() call for failures that happen after hardware resource initialization completed successfully. The bug was first flagged by an experimental analysis tool we are developing for kernel memory-management bugs while analyzing v6.13-rc1. The tool is still under development and is not yet publicly available. Manual inspection confirms that the bug is still present in v7.1-rc3. Runtime validation was not performed because reproducing this path requires OcteonTX2 representor hardware.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Double Free
The product calls free() twice on the same memory address.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.
- Ensure that each allocation is freed only once. After freeing a chunk, set the pointer to NULL to ensure the pointer cannot be freed again. In complicated error conditions, be sure that clean-up routines respect the state of allocation properly. If the language is object oriented, ensure that object destructors delete each chunk of memory only once.
- Use a static analysis tool to find double free instances.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Recent Double Free vulnerabilities
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.0 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.3 High severity
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