Linux Kernel up to 6.18.41/7.1.5/7.2-rc4 Airoha airoha_ppe_deinit use after free

CVSS Meta Temp Score
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CTI Interest Score
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9.5$5k-$25k0.00

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.18.41/7.1.5/7.2-rc4 and classified as very critical. The affected element is the function airoha_ppe_deinit of the component Airoha. The manipulation leads to use after free. This vulnerability is referenced as CVE-2026-68332. Remote exploitation of the attack is possible. No exploit is available. The affected component should be upgraded.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.18.41/7.1.5/7.2-rc4 and classified as very critical. This issue affects the function airoha_ppe_deinit of the component Airoha. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a use after free vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-416. Referencing memory after it has been freed can cause a program to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: airoha: Fix potential use-after-free in airoha_ppe_deinit() airoha_ppe_deinit() replaces the NPU pointer with NULL via rcu_replace_pointer() but does not wait for existing RCU readers to exit before calling ppe_deinit() and airoha_npu_put(). This can cause a use-after-free if a reader in an RCU read-side critical section still holds a reference to the NPU when it is freed. The init path (airoha_ppe_init) already calls synchronize_rcu() after rcu_assign_pointer(), but the deinit path introduced in commit 6abcf751bc08 ("net: airoha: Fix schedule while atomic in airoha_ppe_deinit()") omitted the matching barrier when switching from rcu_read_lock()/rcu_dereference() to rcu_replace_pointer(). Add synchronize_rcu() before ppe_deinit() to ensure all existing RCU readers have completed before the NPU resources are released.

It is possible to read the advisory at git.kernel.org. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2026-68332 since 07/30/2026. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be initiated remotely. No form of authentication is needed for a successful exploitation. 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 08/10/2026).

Upgrading to version 6.18.42, 7.1.6 or 7.2-rc5 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 46e3bed4b071095ecc9384a7b349e1908728531f/ad28c4f9e0eae4993cb3fde3e7cea330acd8b97c/2484568a335cd7bda951c75b3a7d95ea36161ae7 is able to eliminate this problem. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

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Name

Version

License

Website

CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 10.0
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 9.5

VulDB Base Score: 10.0
VulDB Temp Score: 9.5
VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv2info

AVACAuCIA
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💳💳💳💳💳💳
💳💳💳💳💳💳
VectorComplexityAuthenticationConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability
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VulDB Base Score: 🔒
VulDB Temp Score: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Use after free
CWE: CWE-416 / CWE-119
CAPEC: 🔒
ATT&CK: 🔒

Physical: No
Local: No
Remote: Yes

Availability: 🔒
Status: Not defined

EPSS Score: 🔒
EPSS Percentile: 🔒

Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔒

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Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔒

Upgrade: Kernel 6.18.42/7.1.6/7.2-rc5
Patch: 46e3bed4b071095ecc9384a7b349e1908728531f/ad28c4f9e0eae4993cb3fde3e7cea330acd8b97c/2484568a335cd7bda951c75b3a7d95ea36161ae7

Timelineinfo

07/30/2026 CVE reserved
08/10/2026 +11 days Advisory disclosed
08/10/2026 +0 days VulDB entry created
08/10/2026 +0 days VulDB entry last update

Sourcesinfo

Vendor: kernel.org

Advisory: git.kernel.org
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-2026-68332 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2026-68332
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-387635

Entryinfo

Created: 08/10/2026 17:00
Changes: 08/10/2026 17:00 (59)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

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