VulnerabilityPublished 18 Oct 2026Updated 21 Oct 2026

CVE-2026-98837: Linux kernel · ALSA: caiaq: unregister the input device when probe fails

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · fixed in df2787819bd137111b56b8631dd581b0cce7144d : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:30 UTC

Severity

Unrated

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 9% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in df2787819bd137111b56b8631dd581b0cce7144d, 850810c12686f80cdf7530f4f21e0157d904f739, 84727facd8506140cd04f2b0a8b1c4ddeac41cea +9

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 >=6.6.140 <6.6.160 >=6.12.86 <6.12.113 >=6.18.27 <6.18.56 >=5.10.258 <5.11 >=5.15.209 <5.16 >=6.1.175 <6.2 >=7.0.4 <7.1	Fixed in df2787819bd137111b56b8631dd581b0cce7144d 850810c12686f80cdf7530f4f21e0157d904f739 84727facd8506140cd04f2b0a8b1c4ddeac41cea 7.1 6.18.56 6.12.113 6.6.160 6.2 5.16 5.11 2e5a413cc2a489c9427ecd3d73ad764bfb0c7103 0b7bd20f6379bc5e431fd74d866390f5b5b63f3c
LinuxLinux	Affected =7.1	Fixed in–

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ALSA: caiaq: unregister the input device when probe fails setup_card() registers the input device, whose name and phys point into struct snd_usb_caiaqdev, and then goes on to snd_card_register() and snd_usb_caiaq_control_init(). If either fails, snd_probe() calls snd_card_free(), which frees the device state but leaves the input device registered: card_free() only clears the pointer, and the input device is unregistered from snd_disconnect() alone. Reading its "uevent" attribute afterwards dereferences freed memory: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in string+0x4a9/0x4f0 Read of size 1 at addr ffff8880208f5043 by task caiaq/4967 add_uevent_var+0x183/0x3a0 input_dev_uevent+0x162/0x900 dev_uevent+0x2f1/0x870 uevent_show+0x1ca/0x3a0 ... Unregister the input device on the probe error path, as snd_disconnect() does. snd_usb_caiaq_input_disconnect() is a no-op when no input device was registered. Reproduced with a raw-gadget Audio Kontrol 1 and a temporary hack that makes snd_usb_caiaq_control_init() fail.

References

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