VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026Updated 21 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98696: Linux kernel · USB: serial: fix driver deregistration order

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in e7ad832b1144df19cbbaaa655625c6f984e85b9f : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:18 UTC

Severity

Unrated

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 5% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in e7ad832b1144df19cbbaaa655625c6f984e85b9f, a1aa474768f69ea3a70da523f00f74c264cfa10e, 646e5b28b4fdbc1b828a2398d6ced2c1dd308a46 +2

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 18 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 to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 765e0ba62613fb90f09c1b5926750df0aa56f349, < e7ad832b1144df19cbbaaa655625c6f984e85b9f	Fixed in e7ad832b1144df19cbbaaa655625c6f984e85b9f
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 765e0ba62613fb90f09c1b5926750df0aa56f349, < a1aa474768f69ea3a70da523f00f74c264cfa10e	Fixed in a1aa474768f69ea3a70da523f00f74c264cfa10e
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 765e0ba62613fb90f09c1b5926750df0aa56f349, < 646e5b28b4fdbc1b828a2398d6ced2c1dd308a46	Fixed in 646e5b28b4fdbc1b828a2398d6ced2c1dd308a46
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 765e0ba62613fb90f09c1b5926750df0aa56f349, < 428d479a0d31460fbf5969ab262ccd673f1fac01	Fixed in 428d479a0d31460fbf5969ab262ccd673f1fac01
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ 765e0ba62613fb90f09c1b5926750df0aa56f349, < 9b085a06a0a411b0bcdf18b61c3ebf1be1c72ffe	Fixed in 9b085a06a0a411b0bcdf18b61c3ebf1be1c72ffe
LinuxLinux	Affected =3.4	Fixed in–

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: USB: serial: fix driver deregistration order USB serial driver modules register one driver for the USB bus and one or more drivers for the ports on the USB serial bus. When unloading a driver module, the USB driver must be deregistered before the USB serial bus drivers so that I/O is stopped before unbinding the ports to avoid use-after-free in completion handlers accessing port data. Note that the "new_id" attributes must first be removed to prevent new ids from being added and triggering a probe of the USB driver after it has been deregistered.

References

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