Linux Kernel up to 7.2-rc4 Watchdog watchdog_unregister_governor use after free

CVSS Meta Temp Score
CVSS is a standardized scoring system to determine possibilities of attacks. The Temp Score considers temporal factors like disclosure, exploit and countermeasures. The unique Meta Score calculates the average score of different sources to provide a normalized scoring system.
Current Exploit Price (≈)
Our analysts are monitoring exploit markets and are in contact with vulnerability brokers. The range indicates the observed or calculated exploit price to be seen on exploit markets. A good indicator to understand the monetary effort required for and the popularity of an attack.
CTI Interest Score
Our Cyber Threat Intelligence team is monitoring different web sites, mailing lists, exploit markets and social media networks. The CTI Interest Score identifies the interest of attackers and the security community for this specific vulnerability in real-time. A high score indicates an elevated risk to be targeted for this vulnerability.
8.7$5k-$25k0.48

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability classified as very critical was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.147/6.12.100/6.18.41/7.1.5/7.2-rc4. Affected by this vulnerability is the function watchdog_unregister_governor of the component Watchdog. Executing a manipulation can lead to use after free. This vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2026-68357. The attack can be launched remotely. No exploit exists.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.147/6.12.100/6.18.41/7.1.5/7.2-rc4. It has been declared as very critical. This vulnerability affects the function watchdog_unregister_governor of the component Watchdog. 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. CVE summarizes:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: watchdog: pretimeout: Fix UAF in watchdog_unregister_governor() When a watchdog governor is unregistered, it updates existing watchdog devices that were using this governor by falling back to `default_gov`. If the governor being unregistered is currently set as `default_gov`, the `default_gov` is never cleared. This leads to 2 use-after-free issues: 1. New watchdog devices registered after this point will inherit the dangling `default_gov`. 2. Existing watchdog devices using the unregistered governor will have their `wdd->gov` reassigned to the dangling `default_gov`. Fix the UAF by clearing `default_gov` if it matches the governor being unregistered.

The advisory is shared for download at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability was named CVE-2026-68357 since 07/30/2026. The exploitation appears to be easy. The attack can be initiated remotely. Additional levels of successful authentication are required for exploitation. There are known technical details, but no exploit is available. The current price for an exploit might be approx. USD $5k-$25k (estimation calculated on 08/10/2026).

Upgrading to version 6.6.148, 6.12.101, 6.18.42, 7.1.6 or 7.2-rc5 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 2e47b91b9b4020fcc01def14d6b6556d66074cf4/0ca252720f0e38411cfec3431db9bb1aed0a412c/7d1658b066de30f4b23afc14814d22416a971e6e/7993d626983cc58fbde9607333cfd2d57725c197/7362ba0f9c96ac3ad6a2ca3995bd9fc9a28a8661 is able to eliminate this problem.

Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Type

Vendor

Name

Version

License

Website

CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 9.1
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 8.7

VulDB Base Score: 9.1
VulDB Temp Score: 8.7
VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv2info

AVACAuCIA
💳💳💳💳💳💳
💳💳💳💳💳💳
💳💳💳💳💳💳
VectorComplexityAuthenticationConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability
UnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlock
UnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlock
UnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlock

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
Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔒

0-DayUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlock
TodayUnlockUnlockUnlockUnlock

Threat Intelligenceinfo

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

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔒

Upgrade: Kernel 6.6.148/6.12.101/6.18.42/7.1.6/7.2-rc5
Patch: 2e47b91b9b4020fcc01def14d6b6556d66074cf4/0ca252720f0e38411cfec3431db9bb1aed0a412c/7d1658b066de30f4b23afc14814d22416a971e6e/7993d626983cc58fbde9607333cfd2d57725c197/7362ba0f9c96ac3ad6a2ca3995bd9fc9a28a8661

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-2026-68357 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2026-68357
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-387772

Entryinfo

Created: 08/10/2026 18:36
Changes: 08/10/2026 18:36 (59)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.

Discussion

No comments yet. Languages: en.

Please log in to comment.

◂ PreviousOverviewNext ▸

Do you need the next level of professionalism?

Upgrade your account now!