CVE-2026-52982: Linux Kernel use-after-free (CVSS 9.8)

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: usb: rtl8150: fix use-after-free in rtl8150_start_xmit() syzbot reported a KASAN slab-use-after-free read in rtl8150_start_xmit() when accessing skb->len for tx statistics after usb_submit_urb() has been called: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in rtl8150_start_xmit+0x71f/0x760 drivers/net/usb/rtl8150.c:712 Read of size 4 at addr ffff88810eb7a930 by task kworker/0:4/5226 The URB completion handler write_bulk_callback() frees the skb via dev_kfree_skb_irq(dev->tx_skb). The URB may complete on another CPU in softirq context before usb_submit_urb() returns in the submitter, so by the time the submitter reads skb->len the skb has already been queued to the per-CPU completion_queue and freed by net_tx_action(): CPU A (xmit) CPU B (USB completion softirq) ------------ ------------------------------ dev->tx_skb = skb; usb_submit_urb() --+ |-------> write_bulk_callback() | dev_kfree_skb_irq(dev->tx_skb) | net_tx_action() | napi_skb_cache_put() <-- free netdev->stats.tx_bytes | += skb->len; <-- UAF read Fix it by caching skb->len before submitting the URB and using the cached value when updating the tx_bytes counter. The pre-existing tx_bytes semantics are preserved: the counter tracks the original frame length (skb->len), not the ETH_ZLEN/USB-alignment padded "count" value that is handed to the device. Changing that would be a user-visible accounting change and is out of scope for this UAF fix.

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorNetwork

Attack complexityLow

Privileges requiredNone

User interactionNone

ScopeUnchanged

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

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

Affected products

Linux Kernel≥ 2.6.12.1 < 5.10.258 · ≥ 5.11 < 5.15.209 · ≥ 5.16 < 6.1.175 · ≥ 6.13 < 6.18.33

Remediation

Fixed in

Linux Kernel≥ 5.10.258

Patch & vendor advisories

References

Related CVEs

Recent high-severity vulnerabilities sharing a weakness type.

Frequently asked

Is CVE-2026-52982 being actively exploited?

CVE-2026-52982 is not in the CISA KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit probability is 0.73%.

How severe is CVE-2026-52982?

CVE-2026-52982 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, rated critical. EPSS estimates a 0.73% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2026-52982?

Affected products include Linux Kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2026-52982?

Upgrade affected software to a fixed version, for example Linux Kernel 5.10.258 or later, then confirm no affected versions remain in your inventory.

How Secuno handles this

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