CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-68091NVD status: Received

Linux: Improper Resource Shutdown or Release

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-68091 is a high-severity improper resource shutdown or release vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 out of 10. It can be exploited from the same local network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 5a7ca028facf04921b2c1c2e4d1ee7f282510555, 3e6473a4f0596182acdda5219b4bebfbee76514f, 46d8b8c85ae0589fb85746a64e8908160e52aac3 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 0.26% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Linux to 5a7ca028facf04921b2c1c2e4d1ee7f282510555 or 3e6473a4f0596182acdda5219b4bebfbee76514f or 46d8b8c85ae0589fb85746a64e8908160e52aac3 or 1a1ebdcb56ae58a0ee2c54dd15d75121e30424e3, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinuxf304eb483393f135ab479d02da6f5dc7d9b51cd6 up to, but not including, 5a7ca028facf04921b2c1c2e4d1ee7f282510555; 853307924a9003b3142b5253b1caa6625fbad9fc up to, but not including, 3e6473a4f0596182acdda5219b4bebfbee76514f; e5c6c8ef3e4d3a88407404daafbf2c6be62f2185 up to, but not including, 46d8b8c85ae0589fb85746a64e8908160e52aac3; fc41101a94b11cd0d5ad8e213b2b6965f248d653 up to, but not including, 1a1ebdcb56ae58a0ee2c54dd15d75121e30424e3; c1d6708bf0d3dd976460d435373cf5abf21ce258 up to, but not including, 75eb2173b63ab41c24d80cd641af18f3c117a267; c1d6708bf0d3dd976460d435373cf5abf21ce258 up to, but not including, 416095e9a6037b4b39fcadd0d2bd77a8852211ec; c1d6708bf0d3dd976460d435373cf5abf21ce258 up to, but not including, e2cc711a9df37f359159b21db56cea9c21f58a9c; c1d6708bf0d3dd976460d435373cf5abf21ce258 up to, but not including, ec2612b8ad9e642596db011dd8b6568ef1edeaa1; and 11 more ranges5a7ca028facf04921b2c1c2e4d1ee7f282510555, 3e6473a4f0596182acdda5219b4bebfbee76514f, 46d8b8c85ae0589fb85746a64e8908160e52aac3, 1a1ebdcb56ae58a0ee2c54dd15d75121e30424e3, 75eb2173b63ab41c24d80cd641af18f3c117a267, 416095e9a6037b4b39fcadd0d2bd77a8852211ec

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
AdjacentThe attacker must be on the same local network segment.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
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:A/AC:L/PR:N/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: HID: wacom: stop hardware after post-start probe failures wacom_parse_and_register() starts HID hardware before registering inputs and initializing pad LEDs/remotes. Those later steps can fail, but their error paths currently release Wacom resources without stopping the HID hardware. Route post-hid_hw_start() failures through hid_hw_stop() before releasing driver resources. This issue was identified during our ongoing static-analysis research while reviewing kernel code.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Improper Resource Shutdown or Release

The product does not release or incorrectly releases a resource before it is made available for re-use.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, languages such as Java, Ruby, and Lisp perform automatic garbage collection that releases memory for objects that have been deallocated.
  • It is good practice to be responsible for freeing all resources you allocate and to be consistent with how and where you free memory in a function. If you allocate memory that you intend to free upon completion of the function, you must be sure to free the memory at all exit points for that function including error conditions.
  • Memory should be allocated/freed using matching functions such as malloc/free, new/delete, and new[]/delete[].

More Improper Resource Shutdown or Release vulnerabilities (CWE-404)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Improper Resource Shutdown or Release vulnerabilities

Spotted an error? Tell us.