CVE-2026-89942

High

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iio: buffer: Fix potential use-after-free in anonymous buffer release An anonymous buffer handle holds a reference to the underlying IIO device. The reference is dropped in the buffer handle's release function. If the device has been removed, either through unbind or hot-unplug, the buffer handle might hold the last reference. The release function takes the mutex for the buffer using a guard, which means the unlock happens after all the code in the function, including `iio_device_put()`. If the anonymous buffer holds the last reference this might free both the IIO device and the buffer, which contains the mutex, leading to use-after-free when the mutex is unlocked. Fix this by using a scoped guard just around the buffer dmabuf list access, making sure the mutex is unlocked before releasing the IIO device. Version 10 of the patch that introduced this issue used this exact scheme of first unlocking and then dropping the reference [1]. During review it was suggested to use a guard instead, and version 11 made that change [2].

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-09-16
Last modified 2026-09-16
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

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 6.11 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.12.110, 6.18.51, 7.2.5, 7.3-rc1 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 6.11
Fixed in
✓ 6.12.110 6.12.x ✓ 6.18.51 6.18.x ✓ 7.2.5 7.2.x ✓ 7.3-rc1

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2026-89942?

    CVE-2026-89942 is a High severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.11 onward and has been patched in 6.12.110, 6.18.51, 7.2.5 and others. CVE-2026-89942 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-89942?

    CVE-2026-89942 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-2026-89942?

    Yes. CVE-2026-89942 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.110, 6.18.51, 7.2.5 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 6.11 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2026-89942 actively exploited?

    No. CVE-2026-89942 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.