What is CVE-2026-53234?

CVE-2026-53234 is a High severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10, classified as a Use After Free flaw (CWE-416), affecting Linux kernel versions from 6.12 onward and patched in 6.12.94, 6.18.36, 7.0.13 and others. CVE-2026-53234 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-53234?

CVE-2026-53234 has a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10, rated High severity. The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-53234?

Yes, CVE-2026-53234 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.94, 6.18.36, 7.0.13 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 6.12 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

Is CVE-2026-53234 actively exploited?

CVE-2026-53234 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is Use After Free (CWE-416)?

The product references memory after it has been freed, which may cause it to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code. See MITRE CWE for full details: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/416.html

CVE-2026-53234

High

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ibm: emac: Fix use-after-free during device removal The driver was using devm_register_netdev() which causes unregister_netdev() to be deferred until the devres cleanup phase, which runs after emac_remove() returns. This creates a use-after-free window where: 1. emac_remove() is called, which tears down hardware (cancels work, detaches modules, unregisters from MAL) 2. emac_remove() returns 3. devres cleanup runs and finally calls unregister_netdev() During step 3, the network stack might still process packets, triggering emac_irq(), emac_poll(), or other handlers that access now-freed hardware resources (dev->emacp, dev->mal, etc.). Fix this by replacing devm_register_netdev() with manual register_netdev() and calling unregister_netdev() at the beginning of emac_remove(), before any hardware teardown. This ensures the network device is fully stopped and unregistered before hardware resources are released. The change is safe because: - dev->ndev is assigned very early in probe (before any error paths that could bypass emac_remove) - platform_set_drvdata() is only called after successful registration, so emac_remove() only runs for fully registered devices - unregister_netdev() is idempotent and safe to call on any registered device

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2026-06-25

Last modified 2026-07-08

CVSS version 3.1

Patch available

Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

7.8

out of 10

High

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Vector string

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Weakness type

CWE-416

CVE-2026-53234 is a Use After Free vulnerability

What is Use After Free?

The product references memory after it has been freed, which may cause it to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code. Learn more on MITRE CWE

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 6.12 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.12.94, 6.18.36, 7.0.13, 7.1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from

≥ 6.12

Fixed in

✓ 6.12.94 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.36 6.18.x ✓ 7.0.13 7.0.x ✓ 7.1

References

4 total

Kernel Git
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a0130d682222ae21afc395aead7cd2d87e1a8358

Patch
Kernel Git
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c09c2e236eef6f59e105f38a30f5439e6ccbcad7

Patch
Kernel Git
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c12584cd6078085d707266be864e7e1cc91d74e3

Patch
Kernel Git
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cf8e14db93eaecc4c0c58299be3b3183b0e53ed5

Patch

Details

CVE ID CVE-2026-53234

Severity High

CVSS score 7.8 / 10

CVSS version 3.1

Published 2026-06-25

Modified 2026-07-08

KEV No

Patch

Yes

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-53234?

CVE-2026-53234 is a High severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10 , classified as an Use After Free flaw (CWE-416) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.12 onward and has been patched in 6.12.94, 6.18.36, 7.0.13 and others. CVE-2026-53234 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-53234?

CVE-2026-53234 has a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10, rated High severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-53234?

Yes. CVE-2026-53234 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.94, 6.18.36, 7.0.13 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 6.12 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
Is CVE-2026-53234 actively exploited?

No. CVE-2026-53234 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.