CVE-2026-97582

Received Received - Intake

Use-After-Free in Linux Kernel GPIO Fan Driver

Publication date: 2026-09-25

Last updated on: 2026-10-03

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: hwmon: (gpio-fan) Fix use-after-free in alarm work fan_alarm_irq_handler() queues fan_data->alarm_work, but nothing cancels it. fan_alarm_notify() dereferences fan_data and its hwmon device. On unbind, devres frees the interrupt, which only waits for the handler itself, and then releases the hwmon device and fan_data, so a pending fan_alarm_notify() can run after those frees. Replace INIT_WORK() with devm_work_autocancel(), registered before devm_request_irq(). The devres cleanup then frees the interrupt first, so no new work can be queued, and cancels the work while fan_data and the hwmon device are still alive. This issue was found by an in-house static analysis tool.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-09-25

Last Modified

2026-10-03

Generated

2026-10-16

AI Q&A

2026-09-25

EPSS Evaluated

2026-10-14

NVD

CVE-2026-97582

EUVD

EUVD-2026-86890

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 vulnerability in the Linux kernel's hwmon subsystem, specifically in the gpio-fan driver. The issue occurs when an interrupt handler queues work that references freed memory. When the device is unbound, the interrupt is freed before the queued work completes, leading to a use-after-free condition where the work tries to access already released resources.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's hwmon subsystem, particularly the gpio-fan driver. Detection requires checking if your system uses this driver and if the kernel version is vulnerable. Use commands like 'lsmod | grep gpio_fan' to check if the module is loaded and 'uname -a' to verify your kernel version. Compare the version against patched releases.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could cause system instability, crashes, or potential privilege escalation if exploited. Systems using the gpio-fan driver with GPIO-controlled fans may experience kernel panics or memory corruption when the device is unbound while pending work remains.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability does not directly affect compliance with standards like GDPR or HIPAA. It is a use-after-free issue in the Linux kernel's hwmon subsystem related to GPIO fan alarm handling, which could lead to system instability or crashes but does not involve data exposure or privacy violations typical of GDPR or HIPAA concerns.

Mitigation Strategies

Update your Linux kernel to the latest stable version that includes the fix for this issue. If updating is not immediately possible, consider unloading the gpio-fan module if it is not in use. Monitor vendor advisories for kernel patches and apply them promptly.

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