Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2026-64341 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 9472acd56a020c93be4189d2dba9c743b9fc8039, 4e7d3c98fed73d3be84d3e146d8d9be0309e725b, 3c0a7b29ebb391d5f50b115e86f842b709195b08 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 9472acd56a020c93be4189d2dba9c743b9fc8039 or 4e7d3c98fed73d3be84d3e146d8d9be0309e725b or 3c0a7b29ebb391d5f50b115e86f842b709195b08 or 30ec3025b771511625375fb3fb959aea3b45fb0d, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 6.12.97 or 7.1.4, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 946b960d13c15f050a3b848987aaca79f6a459b7 up to, but not including, 9472acd56a020c93be4189d2dba9c743b9fc8039; 946b960d13c15f050a3b848987aaca79f6a459b7 up to, but not including, 4e7d3c98fed73d3be84d3e146d8d9be0309e725b; 946b960d13c15f050a3b848987aaca79f6a459b7 up to, but not including, 3c0a7b29ebb391d5f50b115e86f842b709195b08; 946b960d13c15f050a3b848987aaca79f6a459b7 up to, but not including, 30ec3025b771511625375fb3fb959aea3b45fb0d; 946b960d13c15f050a3b848987aaca79f6a459b7 up to, but not including, 71590982700fdeb39a37a500c877228b0140978e; 946b960d13c15f050a3b848987aaca79f6a459b7 up to, but not including, c602254ba4c10f60a73cd99d147874f86a3f485c; 2.6.21 | 9472acd56a020c93be4189d2dba9c743b9fc8039, 4e7d3c98fed73d3be84d3e146d8d9be0309e725b, 3c0a7b29ebb391d5f50b115e86f842b709195b08, 30ec3025b771511625375fb3fb959aea3b45fb0d, 71590982700fdeb39a37a500c877228b0140978e, c602254ba4c10f60a73cd99d147874f86a3f485c |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 2.6.21.1 up to, but not including, 6.12.97; 6.13 up to, but not including, 7.1.4; 2.6.21; 7.2 | 6.12.97, 7.1.4 |
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: USB: iowarrior: fix use-after-free on disconnect race mutex_unlock() may access the mutex structure after releasing the lock and therefore cannot be used to manage lifetime of objects directly (unlike spinlocks and refcounts). [1][2] Use a kref to release the driver data to avoid use-after-free in mutex_unlock() when release() races with disconnect(). [1] a51749ab34d9 ("locking/mutex: Document that mutex_unlock() is non-atomic") [2] 2b9d9e0a9ba0 ("locking/mutex: Clarify that mutex_unlock(), and most other sleeping locks, can still use the lock object after it's unlocked")
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.
- 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
Other references
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
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