CVE-2026-68359

Received Received - Intake

NZXT Smart2 Driver UAF Vulnerability in Linux Kernel

Publication date: 2026-08-10

Last updated on: 2026-08-19

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: hwmon: (nzxt-smart2) Stop device IO before calling hid_hw_stop Calling hid_hw_stop() does not stop the device IO. This results in a race condition between hid_input_report() and the point immediately following the execution of hid_device_io_start() within the driver probe function. If the probe operation fails after "io start" has been initiated, this race condition will result in a UAF vulnerability. Fix the problem by calling hid_device_io_stop() before calling hid_hw_stop().

CVSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-08-10

Last Modified

2026-08-19

Generated

2026-08-30

AI Q&A

2026-08-10

EPSS Evaluated

2026-08-29

NVD

CVE-2026-68359

EUVD

EUVD-2026-55460

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
linux	linux_kernel	*

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This is a Use-After-Free (UAF) vulnerability in the Linux kernel's hwmon driver for NZXT Smart2 devices. It occurs due to a race condition when the driver fails to properly stop device I/O before cleanup. If the device probe fails after starting I/O, the system may access freed memory, leading to potential crashes or privilege escalation.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's hwmon subsystem, particularly the nzxt-smart2 driver. Detection requires checking if your system uses this driver and kernel version. Run: lsmod | grep nzxt_smart2 to check if the driver is loaded. Verify kernel version with uname -r. If the driver is loaded and your kernel is affected, inspect system logs for probe failures or UAF-related errors.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could allow an attacker to cause system crashes, execute arbitrary code, or escalate privileges on affected Linux systems using the NZXT Smart2 hardware monitoring driver. It primarily affects systems with the vulnerable driver loaded.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability is a race condition leading to a use-after-free (UAF) issue in the Linux kernel's hwmon driver for NZXT Smart2 devices. It does not directly impact compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or similar standards as it is a low-level system vulnerability rather than a data protection or privacy issue.

Mitigation Strategies

Update your Linux kernel to the latest patched version where this issue is resolved. If immediate updating is not possible, unload the nzxt-smart2 module using rmmod nzxt_smart2 to prevent the vulnerable driver from being used. Monitor system logs for any signs of exploitation or instability.

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