CVE-2026-98200
Received Received - Intake

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Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-98200, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

Publication date: 2026-10-06

Last updated on: 2026-10-19

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: hwmon: (hp-wmi-sensors) Fix use-after-free in fungible_show() nsensor->current_state is dynamically replaced as the sensor's state changes. update_numeric_sensor_from_wobj() does this by freeing the old string and installing a new one: if (strcmp(trimmed, nsensor->current_state)) { new_string = hp_wmi_strdup(dev, trimmed); if (new_string) { devm_kfree(dev, nsensor->current_state); nsensor->current_state = new_string; } } This function is only ever called from hp_wmi_update_info() while state->lock is held, so the free-and-replace itself is properly serialized against concurrent updates. fungible_show(), however, reads the same pointer after the lock has already been dropped: err = hp_wmi_update_info(state, info); if (err) return err; switch (prop) { ... case HP_WMI_PROPERTY_CURRENT_STATE: seq_printf(seqf, "%s\n", nsensor->current_state); break; hp_wmi_update_info() takes state->lock internally and releases it before returning, so by the time fungible_show() dereferences nsensor->current_state in seq_printf(), no lock is held. Two processes reading a sensor's current_state debugfs entry at overlapping times (or one reading it while another read of the same sensor triggers a refresh) can race: one thread's seq_printf() can be part-way through printing the string at the moment another thread's call into update_numeric_sensor_from_wobj() frees it with devm_kfree() and installs a new pointer, causing a use-after-free read. Take state->lock around the read in fungible_show() as well, so it can never run concurrently with the free-and-replace in update_numeric_sensor_from_wobj().

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Meta Information

Published
2026-10-06
Last Modified
2026-10-19
Generated
2026-10-19
AI Q&A
2026-10-06
EPSS Evaluated
2026-10-18
NVD
EUVD

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 6 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
Linux Linux 23902f98f8d4811ab84dde6419569a5b374f8122
Linux Linux 23902f98f8d4811ab84dde6419569a5b374f8122
Linux Linux 23902f98f8d4811ab84dde6419569a5b374f8122
Linux Linux 23902f98f8d4811ab84dde6419569a5b374f8122
Linux Linux 23902f98f8d4811ab84dde6419569a5b374f8122
Linux Linux 6.5

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's hwmon subsystem, specifically in the hp-wmi-sensors driver. It occurs when the function fungible_show() reads a sensor state pointer after it has been freed by another process. The issue arises because the pointer is updated without proper synchronization after the lock protecting it is released.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's hwmon subsystem, particularly the hp-wmi-sensors driver. Detection requires checking the kernel version and the presence of the vulnerable code path. Use uname -a to check the kernel version and grep for the affected driver in /proc/modules or /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/drivers/hwmon/hp-wmi-sensors.ko.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could allow an attacker to cause a system crash or potentially execute arbitrary code by triggering a race condition. It affects systems using the hp-wmi-sensors driver to monitor hardware sensors, potentially leading to denial-of-service conditions or instability.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability is a use-after-free issue in the Linux kernel's hwmon subsystem, specifically in the hp-wmi-sensors driver. It does not directly relate to data protection or privacy compliance standards like GDPR or HIPAA, as it involves a memory management flaw rather than unauthorized data access or exposure.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest kernel update from your Linux distribution to patch the use-after-free issue in the hp-wmi-sensors driver. If an update is not immediately available, consider disabling the hp-wmi-sensors module by running rmmod hp-wmi-sensors or blacklisting it in /etc/modprobe.d/.

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