CVE-2026-23291

Local service interruption via USB reference leak

Published Mar 25, 2026 · Updated Mar 25, 2026

Resource leak in the Linux Kernel PN533 USB NFC driver allows local users to interrupt service by disconnecting a bound device. The pn533_usb_disconnect function frees transfer resources but fails to release the USB device reference acquired during probe, leaving the interface reference count elevated. The flaw is reachable only during disconnection of a bound PN533 USB NFC device and affects availability rather than data confidentiality or integrity.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.12%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Resource leak in the Linux Kernel PN533 USB NFC driver allows local users to interrupt service by disconnecting a bound device. The pn533_usb_disconnect function frees transfer resources but fails to release the USB device reference acquired during probe, leaving the interface reference count elevated. The flaw is reachable only during disconnection of a bound PN533 USB NFC device and affects availability rather than data confidentiality or integrity.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-23291
Published
Mar 25, 2026
Updated
Mar 25, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 25, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Mar 25, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=3.1
  2. Affected versionversion=c46ee38620a2aa2b25b16bc9738ace80dbff76a4 <00477cab053dc4816b99141d8fcca7a479cfebeb
  3. Affected versionversion=c46ee38620a2aa2b25b16bc9738ace80dbff76a4 <12133a483dfa832241fbbf09321109a0ea8a520e
  4. Affected versionversion=c46ee38620a2aa2b25b16bc9738ace80dbff76a4 <4551d6cea00224ab65a0ef35e4e6da0e9c0a2d74
  5. Affected versionversion=c46ee38620a2aa2b25b16bc9738ace80dbff76a4 <7398d6570501edc55a50ece820f369ab3c1df2e7
  6. Affected versionversion=c46ee38620a2aa2b25b16bc9738ace80dbff76a4 <7ff14eb070f0efecb2606f8d7aa01b77d188e886
  7. Affected versionversion=c46ee38620a2aa2b25b16bc9738ace80dbff76a4 <d1f6d20b3c2642ec85ce6ea5da7155746c31c6d0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=3.1; version=c46ee38620a2aa2b25b16bc9738ace80dbff76a4 <00477cab053dc4816b99141d8fcca7a479cfebeb; version=c46ee38620a2aa2b25b16bc9738ace80dbff76a4 <12133a483dfa832241fbbf09321109a0ea8a520e; version=c46ee38620a2aa2b25b16bc9738ace80dbff76a4 <4551d6cea00224ab65a0ef35e4e6da0e9c0a2d74; version=c46ee38620a2aa2b25b16bc9738ace80dbff76a4 <7398d6570501edc55a50ece820f369ab3c1df2e7; version=c46ee38620a2aa2b25b16bc9738ace80dbff76a4 <7ff14eb070f0efecb2606f8d7aa01b77d188e886; version=c46ee38620a2aa2b25b16bc9738ace80dbff76a4 <d1f6d20b3c2642ec85ce6ea5da7155746c31c6d0

Published CVSS scores

5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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