CVE-2026-46109
Received Received - Intake
Memory Leak in Linux Kernel USB ULPI Driver

Publication date: 2026-05-28

Last updated on: 2026-06-01

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: usb: ulpi: fix memory leak on ulpi_register() error paths Commit 01af542392b5 ("usb: ulpi: fix double free in ulpi_register_interface() error path") removed kfree(ulpi) from ulpi_register_interface() to fix a double-free when device_register() fails. But when ulpi_of_register() or ulpi_read_id() fail before device_register() is called, the ulpi allocation is leaked. Add kfree(ulpi) on both error paths to properly clean up the allocation.
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
Probability:
Percentile:
Meta Information
Published
2026-05-28
Last Modified
2026-06-01
Generated
2026-06-17
AI Q&A
2026-05-28
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-16
NVD
CVE-2026-46109
EUVD
EUVD-2026-32868
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux_kernel linux_kernel *
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
CWE Icon
KEV
KEV Icon
CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Quick Actions
Instant insights powered by AI
Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a memory leak in the Linux kernel's USB ULPI driver. Specifically, when certain error conditions occur before the device registration step, allocated memory for ULPI is not properly freed, causing a memory leak.

Previously, a fix was made to prevent a double-free error by removing a kfree call in one error path, but this introduced a new issue where memory allocated for ULPI was leaked if errors happened earlier in the process.

The fix adds proper memory deallocation (kfree) on these earlier error paths to ensure no memory is leaked.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can lead to memory leaks in the Linux kernel when using the ULPI USB driver. Over time, repeated memory leaks can degrade system performance or stability, potentially causing resource exhaustion.

However, this issue does not directly lead to code execution or privilege escalation, but it may affect system reliability.

Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, update your Linux kernel to a version that includes the fix for the memory leak in the ulpi_register() error paths. The fix involves proper cleanup of memory allocations in the USB ULPI driver to prevent leaks and double frees.

Since this is a kernel-level issue, applying the latest kernel patches or upgrading to a fixed kernel version is the recommended immediate step.

Chat Assistant
Ask questions about this CVE
Hi! I’m here to help you understand CVE-2026-46109. Ask me anything about the vulnerability, its impact, or mitigation strategies.
0/70
EPSS Chart