Freed-memory access via uncanceled USB wake work
Published Oct 18, 2026 · Updated Oct 18, 2026
Use-after-free in the aspeed-vhub driver in Linux 4.18 allows attackers to access freed memory during USB device removal. ast_vhub_remove() leaves wake_work pending, while ast_vhub_udc_wakeup() permits rearming after gadget unregistration, allowing work to outlive freed hub and port objects. The race requires gadget wakeup concurrent with driver removal on affected Aspeed hardware; attacker privileges and further consequences are undocumented.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the aspeed-vhub driver in Linux 4.18 allows attackers to access freed memory during USB device removal. ast_vhub_remove() leaves wake_work pending, while ast_vhub_udc_wakeup() permits rearming after gadget unregistration, allowing work to outlive freed hub and port objects. The race requires gadget wakeup concurrent with driver removal on affected Aspeed hardware; attacker privileges and further consequences are undocumented.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-98766
- Published
- Oct 18, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 18, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- Unavailable
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 18, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 18, 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?
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- Affected versionversion=4.18
- Affected versionversion=7ecca2a4080cb6b1fa174adc588fce9e9014c43c <20388c8d1d74c203fec8194c45cd31afdfab934e
- Affected versionversion=7ecca2a4080cb6b1fa174adc588fce9e9014c43c <474e9e1852fb5ba0bfb26f123dd0cb361d0f4f4d
- Affected versionversion=7ecca2a4080cb6b1fa174adc588fce9e9014c43c <c81504dfd2d93e345c98e7a012c2f2e74ce5b6a1
- Affected versionversion=7ecca2a4080cb6b1fa174adc588fce9e9014c43c <f343bfa3fc9f6255602d66f4a7dbe7ddef13ba41
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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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
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
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