CVE-2026-53157: Linux kernel · net: phonet: free phonet_device after RCU grace period
Source GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 2% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Jun 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: 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 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
AI-suggested
A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel source code that replaces immediate freeing with kfree_rcu() for the phonet_device object. Users should apply the official kernel updates that include this fix. Since this is not a cloud service, remediation depends on deploying patched kernel versions. Patch status is not explicitly confirmed here; users should consult the official Linux kernel advisories for the relevant fixed versions.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: phonet: free phonet_device after RCU grace period phonet_device_destroy() removes a phonet_device from the per-net device list with list_del_rcu(), but frees it immediately. RCU readers walking the same list can still hold a pointer to the object after it has been removed, leading to a slab-use-after-free. Use kfree_rcu(), matching the lifetime rule already used by phonet_address_del() for the same object type.
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53157 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/09c9b92c2010481160245244ea8fa1d06d5d4ae0 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/2ec8011cce0cd0fc7a5068585d867fc08d508578 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/52b8f5ef82c886f7cd24617915e4b1579ddfd001 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/6cd7067d6e4b0b2033ba2f918ecbd54dc2af3763 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/71de0177b28da751f407581a4515cf4d762f6296 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/bd2ab4d800fc26814d89328d87b5f97ef6aa906a (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/bff309ea51f1395c1ef8be8b75ce62d28a319113 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/d59794337ea496042288c7c68356d9b9ca7f46a9 (opens in a new tab)