CVE-2026-98772
Received Received - Intake

USB Serial Port Use-After-Free in Linux Kernel

Publication date: 2026-10-18

Last updated on: 2026-10-18

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: USB: serial: fix port tear down use-after-free Some drivers for multiport devices access port driver data from completion handlers of shared URBs submitted at attach() or first open() and stopped at disconnect() or last close(), respectively. A simple NULL check before accessing the driver data makes sure that a port state container has at least been allocated, but a completion handler can still race with port tear down. Reorder the disconnect handling so that ports are not deregistered (and their driver data freed) until after all ports have been hung up and the driver disconnect() callback has run so that all I/O has been stopped.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-10-18
Last Modified
2026-10-18
Generated
2026-10-18
AI Q&A
2026-10-18
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-98772
EUVD
EUVD-2026-103857

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 5 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
Linux Linux 2d93148ab6988cad872e65d694c95e8944e1b626
Linux Linux 2d93148ab6988cad872e65d694c95e8944e1b626
Linux Linux 2d93148ab6988cad872e65d694c95e8944e1b626
Linux Linux 2d93148ab6988cad872e65d694c95e8944e1b626
Linux Linux 2.6.30

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Exploitability

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves a use-after-free issue in USB serial drivers. Drivers for multiport devices may access freed memory when completion handlers for shared URBs run after port tear down begins. The fix reorders disconnect handling to ensure all I/O stops and ports are hung up before deregistering ports and freeing driver data.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's USB serial driver subsystem and does not have a direct network detection method. Check kernel logs for USB serial driver errors or crashes using 'dmesg | grep -i usb' or 'journalctl -k | grep -i usb'. Monitor for use-after-free errors in kernel logs.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could lead to system crashes, memory corruption, or potential privilege escalation if exploited. Users with affected USB serial devices may experience instability or unexpected behavior when disconnecting devices.

Mitigation Strategies

Update your Linux kernel to the latest stable version that includes the fix for this vulnerability. If immediate patching is not possible, avoid using multiport USB serial devices until the update is applied. Monitor kernel logs for related errors.

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