CVE-2026-31576: Linux kernel · media: hackrf: fix to not free memory after the device is registered in hackrf_probe()
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited.
Data as of 12 Nov 2026, 00:34 UTC
Rated by Threat Radar · No CVSS score from NVD or the CNA
Thin evidence
One scorer or noneExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 24 Apr 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 11 Nov 2026.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: media: hackrf: fix to not free memory after the device is registered in hackrf_probe() In hackrf driver, the following race condition occurs: ``` CPU0 CPU1 hackrf_probe() kzalloc(); // alloc hackrf_dev .... v4l2_device_register(); .... fd = sys_open("/path/to/dev"); // open hackrf fd .... v4l2_device_unregister(); .... kfree(); // free hackrf_dev .... sys_ioctl(fd, ...); v4l2_ioctl(); video_is_registered() // UAF!! .... sys_close(fd); v4l2_release() // UAF!! hackrf_video_release() kfree(); // DFB!! ``` When a V4L2 or video device is unregistered, the device node is removed so new open() calls are blocked. However, file descriptors that are already open-and any in-flight I/O-do not terminate immediately; they remain valid until the last reference is dropped and the driver's release() is invoked. Therefore, freeing device memory on the error path after hackrf_probe() has registered dev it will lead to a race to use-after-free vuln, since those already-open handles haven't been released yet. And since release() free memory too, race to use-after-free and double-free vuln occur. To prevent this, if device is registered from probe(), it should be modified to free memory only through release() rather than calling kfree() directly.
References
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/87b9685cca91ed715c39ba544715832d26a7f4b4 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/131ec9046e1c8af101aebdaec4e8095e05f3312b (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/67fd62e3efdc9dce01f76d95a745212f4feb38e6 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/45cbaf5c7cdc5386d86377f0daf94a17a007fed0 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/98a0a81ce78020c2522e0046f49d200de9778cb9 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/07e9e674b6146b1f6fc41b1f54b8968bf2802824 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/2145c71a8044362e82e9923f001ba2aeb771b848 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/fcd1d70792a35c8a97414fe429f48311e41269c2 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b7da2b4d0fe014eff181ed37e3bf832eb8ed258 (opens in a new tab)