Linux Kernel up to 7.0.12 ptp ptp_clock_unregister use after free

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability identified as critical has been detected in Linux Kernel up to 7.0.12. This affects the function ptp_clock_unregister of the component ptp. This manipulation causes use after free. This vulnerability is handled as CVE-2026-53222. There is not any exploit available. You should upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability has been found in Linux Kernel up to 7.0.12 and classified as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is the function ptp_clock_unregister of the component ptp. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a use after free vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-416. Referencing memory after it has been freed can cause a program to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ptp: ocp: fix resource freeing order Commit a60fc3294a37 ("ptp: rework ptp_clock_unregister() to disable events") added a call to ptp_disable_all_events() which changes the configuration of pins if they support EXTTS events. In ptp_ocp_detach() pins resources are freed before ptp_clock_unregister() and it leads to use-after-free during driver removal. Fix it by changing the order of free/unregister calls. To avoid irq handler running on the other core while ptp device unregistering, call synchronize_irq() after HW is configured to stop producing irqs and no irqs are in-flight.

It is possible to read the advisory at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2026-53222 since 06/09/2026. The exploitation appears 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 06/25/2026).

Upgrading to version 7.0.13 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch aa03698bb28d3be5ee180adb185395054b342b04/627366c51145a07f675b1800fb5ea2ec960bd900 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

• 7.0.0
• 7.0.1
• 7.0.2
• 7.0.3
• 7.0.4
• 7.0.5
• 7.0.6
• 7.0.7
• 7.0.8
• 7.0.9
• 7.0.10
• 7.0.11
• 7.0.12

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

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