Linux Kernel up to 6.6.139/6.12.85/6.18.26/7.0.3 testdrv_probe use after free

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.139/6.12.85/6.18.26/7.0.3 and classified as critical. This impacts the function testdrv_probe. Performing a manipulation results in use after free. This vulnerability was named CVE-2026-45989. There is no available exploit. The affected component should be upgraded.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.139/6.12.85/6.18.26/7.0.3. It has been classified as critical. This affects the function testdrv_probe. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a use after free vulnerability. CWE is classifying the issue as CWE-416. Referencing memory after it has been freed can cause a program to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code. This is going to have an impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: of: unittest: fix use-after-free in testdrv_probe() The function testdrv_probe() retrieves the device_node from the PCI device, applies an overlay, and then immediately calls of_node_put(dn). This releases the reference held by the PCI core, potentially freeing the node if the reference count drops to zero. Later, the same freed pointer 'dn' is passed to of_platform_default_populate(), leading to a use-after-free. The reference to pdev->dev.of_node is owned by the device model and should not be released by the driver. Remove the erroneous of_node_put() to prevent premature freeing.

It is possible to read the advisory at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2026-45989 since 05/13/2026. The exploitability is told to be easy. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $5k-$25k at the moment (estimation calculated on 06/16/2026).

Upgrading to version 6.6.140, 6.12.86, 6.18.27, 7.0.4 or 7.1-rc1 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 0ba03e06f037df704d9b032e36d417633e2326bc/d68347b07b9801791c9eaab8f772770b52b8cd5c/5b6122a67a295f8a08b7c18d908a1bd974dfaec8/6b2023286d2c6ed3bf964fb92e34c9c14d42eb69/07fd339b2c253205794bea5d9b4b7548a4546c56 is able to eliminate this problem. The bugfix is ready for download at git.kernel.org. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

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Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 6.6.139
• 6.12.0
• 6.12.1
• 6.12.2
• 6.12.3
• 6.12.4
• 6.12.5
• 6.12.6
• 6.12.7
• 6.12.8
• 6.12.9
• 6.12.10
• 6.12.11
• 6.12.12
• 6.12.13
• 6.12.14
• 6.12.15
• 6.12.16
• 6.12.17
• 6.12.18
• 6.12.19
• 6.12.20
• 6.12.21
• 6.12.22
• 6.12.23
• 6.12.24
• 6.12.25
• 6.12.26
• 6.12.27
• 6.12.28
• 6.12.29
• 6.12.30
• 6.12.31
• 6.12.32
• 6.12.33
• 6.12.34
• 6.12.35
• 6.12.36
• 6.12.37
• 6.12.38
• 6.12.39
• 6.12.40
• 6.12.41
• 6.12.42
• 6.12.43
• 6.12.44
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• 6.12.46
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• 6.12.48
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• 6.12.55
• 6.12.56
• 6.12.57
• 6.12.58
• 6.12.59
• 6.12.60
• 6.12.61
• 6.12.62
• 6.12.63
• 6.12.64
• 6.12.65
• 6.12.66
• 6.12.67
• 6.12.68
• 6.12.69
• 6.12.70
• 6.12.71
• 6.12.72
• 6.12.73
• 6.12.74
• 6.12.75
• 6.12.76
• 6.12.77
• 6.12.78
• 6.12.79
• 6.12.80
• 6.12.81
• 6.12.82
• 6.12.83
• 6.12.84
• 6.12.85
• 6.18.0
• 6.18.1
• 6.18.2
• 6.18.3
• 6.18.4
• 6.18.5
• 6.18.6
• 6.18.7
• 6.18.8
• 6.18.9
• 6.18.10
• 6.18.11
• 6.18.12
• 6.18.13
• 6.18.14
• 6.18.15
• 6.18.16
• 6.18.17
• 6.18.18
• 6.18.19
• 6.18.20
• 6.18.21
• 6.18.22
• 6.18.23
• 6.18.24
• 6.18.25
• 6.18.26
• 7.0.0
• 7.0.1
• 7.0.2
• 7.0.3

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

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