CVE-2026-45916
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Use-After-Free in Linux Kernel power_supply Subsystem

Publication date: 2026-05-27

Last updated on: 2026-05-27

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: power: supply: sbs-battery: Fix use-after-free in power_supply_changed() Using the `devm_` variant for requesting IRQ _before_ the `devm_` variant for allocating/registering the `power_supply` handle, means that the `power_supply` handle will be deallocated/unregistered _before_ the interrupt handler (since `devm_` naturally deallocates in reverse allocation order). This means that during removal, there is a race condition where an interrupt can fire just _after_ the `power_supply` handle has been freed, *but* just _before_ the corresponding unregistration of the IRQ handler has run. This will lead to the IRQ handler calling `power_supply_changed()` with a freed `power_supply` handle. Which usually crashes the system or otherwise silently corrupts the memory... Note that there is a similar situation which can also happen during `probe()`; the possibility of an interrupt firing _before_ registering the `power_supply` handle. This would then lead to the nasty situation of using the `power_supply` handle *uninitialized* in `power_supply_changed()`. Fix this racy use-after-free by making sure the IRQ is requested _after_ the registration of the `power_supply` handle. Keep the old behavior of just printing a warning in case of any failures during the IRQ request and finishing the probe successfully.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-05-27
Last Modified
2026-05-27
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2026-05-27
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-15
NVD
CVE-2026-45916
EUVD
EUVD-2026-32382
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel *
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Exploitability
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a use-after-free bug in the Linux kernel's power supply subsystem, specifically in the sbs-battery driver. It occurs because the interrupt request (IRQ) is requested before the power_supply handle is allocated and registered. Since the devm_ functions deallocate resources in reverse order, the power_supply handle can be freed before the IRQ handler is unregistered.

As a result, an interrupt can trigger just after the power_supply handle has been freed but before the IRQ handler is unregistered. This causes the IRQ handler to call power_supply_changed() with a freed (invalid) power_supply handle, which usually crashes the system or corrupts memory silently.

There is also a similar race condition during the probe phase where an interrupt can fire before the power_supply handle is registered, leading to the use of an uninitialized handle.

The fix involves requesting the IRQ only after the power_supply handle has been registered, preventing the race condition and use-after-free.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can cause system crashes or silent memory corruption due to the use of a freed power_supply handle in the IRQ handler.

Such crashes can lead to system instability, unexpected reboots, or data loss.

Silent memory corruption can cause unpredictable behavior, potentially affecting system reliability and security.

Mitigation Strategies

The vulnerability is caused by a race condition in the Linux kernel power supply subsystem, specifically in the sbs-battery driver, where an interrupt handler may use a freed or uninitialized power_supply handle leading to crashes or memory corruption.

To mitigate this vulnerability immediately, you should update your Linux kernel to a version where this issue is fixed. The fix involves requesting the IRQ only after registering the power_supply handle to avoid the use-after-free condition.

If updating the kernel is not immediately possible, consider disabling the affected power supply driver or the related hardware interrupts temporarily to prevent the race condition from triggering.

Compliance Impact

The provided information does not specify any impact of this vulnerability on compliance with common standards and regulations such as GDPR or HIPAA.

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