Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2026-68383 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 eac2839585741e6c1b4af261a0b58bca0d6f5436, 88c38ff74f8345fcf8852549f94025754019b037, 77fd62412431e8c80ef2ad61466bc76fe425f80a 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 0.14% 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 eac2839585741e6c1b4af261a0b58bca0d6f5436 or 88c38ff74f8345fcf8852549f94025754019b037 or 77fd62412431e8c80ef2ad61466bc76fe425f80a or 299bc6d50b1bed7d1f408391736712f01a0855e2, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | b17fcce70733c211cb5dabf54f4f9491920b1d92 up to, but not including, eac2839585741e6c1b4af261a0b58bca0d6f5436; 6bd90e700b4285e6a7541e00f969cab0d696adde up to, but not including, 88c38ff74f8345fcf8852549f94025754019b037; 6bd90e700b4285e6a7541e00f969cab0d696adde up to, but not including, 77fd62412431e8c80ef2ad61466bc76fe425f80a; 6bd90e700b4285e6a7541e00f969cab0d696adde up to, but not including, 299bc6d50b1bed7d1f408391736712f01a0855e2; ba37807d08bae67de6139346a85650cab5f6145a; 683b0e397dad9f26a42dcacf6f7f545a77ce6c06; 6.12.43 up to, but not including, 6.12.114; 6.15.11 up to, but not including, 6.16; and 2 more ranges | eac2839585741e6c1b4af261a0b58bca0d6f5436, 88c38ff74f8345fcf8852549f94025754019b037, 77fd62412431e8c80ef2ad61466bc76fe425f80a, 299bc6d50b1bed7d1f408391736712f01a0855e2, 6.12.114, 6.16 |
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: drm/xe/guc: Keep scheduler timeline name alive The scheduler keeps a pointer to the timeline name, but q->name is freed with the exec queue while scheduler fences can still reference it. Store the name in struct xe_guc_exec_queue so it shares the scheduler's RCU-deferred lifetime. (cherry picked from commit 41075f0eb5dcbd3b065d15f15ef7bbe9315188e8)
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: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Other references
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
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