VulnerabilityPublished 14 Oct 2026Updated 19 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98397: Linux kernel · platform/x86: x86-android-tablets: hold device reference for secondary fwnode teardown

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited : upgrade to c62b6e081119f2ab03cfcafde1f83c0f50e8e726 or 144113b0a70fa18033a747ee5db6803308f7688c when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated Medium by Threat Radar's AI analysis · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 8% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in c62b6e081119f2ab03cfcafde1f83c0f50e8e726, 144113b0a70fa18033a747ee5db6803308f7688c

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 14 Oct 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.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade Linux kernel to c62b6e081119f2ab03cfcafde1f83c0f50e8e726 or 144113b0a70fa18033a747ee5db6803308f7688c.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 1448c2d2ca5cc7f4ea6694e6bc809946de0a751c, < c62b6e081119f2ab03cfcafde1f83c0f50e8e726	Fixed in c62b6e081119f2ab03cfcafde1f83c0f50e8e726
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 1448c2d2ca5cc7f4ea6694e6bc809946de0a751c, < 144113b0a70fa18033a747ee5db6803308f7688c	Fixed in 144113b0a70fa18033a747ee5db6803308f7688c
LinuxLinux	Affected =7.2	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix has been committed to the Linux kernel source code, as identified by the fixed commit hashes c62b6e081119f2ab03cfcafde1f83c0f50e8e726 and 144113b0a70fa18033a747ee5db6803308f7688c. Users and maintainers should update to the fixed kernel versions containing these commits to remediate the vulnerability.

Description

A use-after-free vulnerability was identified and resolved in the Linux kernel's x86 Android tablets platform code. The issue involved improper reference counting of device objects during secondary firmware node teardown, which could lead to a use-after-free condition during driver teardown. The fix involves explicitly acquiring and releasing device references to prevent premature freeing.

Impact

This flaw could cause a use-after-free condition during driver teardown, potentially leading to kernel instability or crashes. There is no indication of active exploitation in the wild or direct security impact such as privilege escalation or code execution disclosed.

Summary

The vulnerability in the Linux kernel affects the gpio_secondary_fwnode_init() function where acpi_bus_find_device_by_name() returns a device reference. However, the local device variable is declared with __free(put_device), causing the reference to be dropped at the end of each iteration. Meanwhile, devm_add_action_or_reset() saves the device pointer for gpio_secondary_unset() without incrementing its reference count. This mismatch can lead to a use-after-free during driver teardown if the device is released in the interim. The resolution is to explicitly acquire a device reference with get_device() when registering the devres action and to drop it with put_device() inside gpio_secondary_unset().

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 26 Oct 2026, 11:33 UTC

Technical details

References

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