CVE-2026-74548

Local system crash via premature statistics deallocation

Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026

Use-after-free in Linux kernel forcedeth from 5.3 allows local users to crash the system during network-device removal. nv_remove() frees per-CPU txrx_stats before unregister_netdev() finishes, while statistics, transmit, NAPI, and close paths can still dereference it. Low-privileged local access and a forcedeth-backed device undergoing removal are required; the resulting stale access can interrupt the host.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.13%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Use-after-free in Linux kernel forcedeth from 5.3 allows local users to crash the system during network-device removal. nv_remove() frees per-CPU txrx_stats before unregister_netdev() finishes, while statistics, transmit, NAPI, and close paths can still dereference it. Low-privileged local access and a forcedeth-backed device undergoing removal are required; the resulting stale access can interrupt the host.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-74548
Published
Aug 15, 2026
Updated
Aug 15, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-416
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 15, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 15, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

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

  1. Affected versionversion=5.3
  2. Affected versionversion=f4b633b911fd3b4cbe1dc065e8fb064078d0889d <201e05aa531eba0dfe2ee05b4e178f6ffa12c8b1
  3. Affected versionversion=f4b633b911fd3b4cbe1dc065e8fb064078d0889d <22666ba1420164753d7b0f5a841986b25ace5435
  4. Affected versionversion=f4b633b911fd3b4cbe1dc065e8fb064078d0889d <ae20a8a4de06a289d40b0a0633d8d573f1fcb049
  5. Affected versionversion=f4b633b911fd3b4cbe1dc065e8fb064078d0889d <c9d24a205fd508b9999fcab6aca4c590490a12cf
  6. Affected versionversion=f4b633b911fd3b4cbe1dc065e8fb064078d0889d <cf2dcde2284562ff87830ca0b7fa2b06e95aef1e

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=5.3; version=f4b633b911fd3b4cbe1dc065e8fb064078d0889d <201e05aa531eba0dfe2ee05b4e178f6ffa12c8b1; version=f4b633b911fd3b4cbe1dc065e8fb064078d0889d <22666ba1420164753d7b0f5a841986b25ace5435; version=f4b633b911fd3b4cbe1dc065e8fb064078d0889d <ae20a8a4de06a289d40b0a0633d8d573f1fcb049; version=f4b633b911fd3b4cbe1dc065e8fb064078d0889d <c9d24a205fd508b9999fcab6aca4c590490a12cf; version=f4b633b911fd3b4cbe1dc065e8fb064078d0889d <cf2dcde2284562ff87830ca0b7fa2b06e95aef1e

Published CVSS scores

7.8Linux CVE TeamCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
5.5OracleCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
5.2Amazon LinuxCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

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

CWE-416Use After Free

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

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo