CVE-2026-68201: Linux kernel · Use After Free
Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High · fixed in cd461bcfcdf8d6b6b5365941c1d3859f8bc77aa0 : patch Linux kernel soon.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation
- No evidence of active exploitation and no public proof of concept
- Automatable
- Attackers cannot reliably automate steps 1–4 of the kill chain
- Technical impact
- Total control over the software or total information disclosure
CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-10-16.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in cd461bcfcdf8d6b6b5365941c1d3859f8bc77aa0, bdefe1346a8e6b8dc8593406dc2617e985fcbcab, 426c0ff1c433d6030610ad4f9375746dfe931caa +1
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 10 Aug 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
Upgrade Linux kernel to cd461bcfcdf8d6b6b5365941c1d3859f8bc77aa0, bdefe1346a8e6b8dc8593406dc2617e985fcbcab, 426c0ff1c433d6030610ad4f9375746dfe931caa or 2b298997786876b225cff2446e11a0fa6f602f6d.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
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| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| LinuxLinux | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ALSA: timer: drain a slave's callback before its master detaches it snd_timer_close_locked() drains the closing instance's own in-flight callback (IFLG_CALLBACK) before freeing it, but not its slaves'. When a master instance is closed, remove_slave_links() clears each slave's ->timer; the slave's own close then reads timer == NULL and takes the branch that skips the drain entirely (snd_timer_stop_slave() also no-ops on a NULL timer). So a slave whose callback is still running when the master is closed is freed underneath the live callback, leading to use-after-free. Drain the slaves too before remove_slave_links() severs them. snd_timer_stop() has already taken this instance off the active list, so no new slave callback can be queued. Take the slaves off the ack list so a pending one can't fire either, then wait for any that is already in flight.
References
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/cd461bcfcdf8d6b6b5365941c1d3859f8bc77aa0 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/426c0ff1c433d6030610ad4f9375746dfe931caa (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/2b298997786876b225cff2446e11a0fa6f602f6d (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/bdefe1346a8e6b8dc8593406dc2617e985fcbcab (opens in a new tab)