Kernel crash via embedded URB use-after-free
Published Sep 25, 2026 · Updated Sep 25, 2026
Use-after-free in the ALSA caiaq USB-audio driver in affected Linux kernels allows local users to crash the kernel via a crafted USB device. During command-timeout cleanup, snd_card_free() releases the card containing ep1_in_urb and midi_out_urb while dummy_hcd still owns their queued references, so later USB giveback writes through freed storage. Exploitation is local, unprivileged, and peripheral-triggered under the tested dummy_hcd and user-namespace configuration, and the demonstrated consequence is a kernel crash.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the ALSA caiaq USB-audio driver in affected Linux kernels allows local users to crash the kernel via a crafted USB device. During command-timeout cleanup, snd_card_free() releases the card containing ep1_in_urb and midi_out_urb while dummy_hcd still owns their queued references, so later USB giveback writes through freed storage. Exploitation is local, unprivileged, and peripheral-triggered under the tested dummy_hcd and user-namespace configuration, and the demonstrated consequence is a kernel crash.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-98006
- Published
- Sep 25, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 25, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 25, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 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.
- Affected versionversion=2.6.22
- Affected versionversion=523f1dce37434a9a6623bf46e7893e2b4b10ac3c <0c1b907d5db2f3508375776e5b78d69591aa5626
- Affected versionversion=523f1dce37434a9a6623bf46e7893e2b4b10ac3c <402a9d6aab7ac787ab075adeb562c3db8b8f564b
- Affected versionversion=523f1dce37434a9a6623bf46e7893e2b4b10ac3c <d41e6c1533f09b27fc562260d41417490d2b6084
- Affected versionversion=523f1dce37434a9a6623bf46e7893e2b4b10ac3c <d6dd3c915b0d02457711d8fbaa60efc52144557f
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
No CVSS assessment is available in this record.
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.
Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- syzbot C reproducer for usb_free_urb use-after-freeproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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