# CVE-2020-12464: Use after free in n/a

> A use-after-free in the Linux kernel USB core allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges via crafted USB transfers.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 29 Apr 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** A-156071259, ASB-A-156071259, DEBIAN-CVE-2020-12464, GHSA-jx8c-mxmr-fc68, UBUNTU-CVE-2020-12464

## What is CVE-2020-12464?

CVE-2020-12464 is a medium-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 29 Apr 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

usb_sg_cancel in drivers/usb/core/message.c in the Linux kernel before 5.6.8 has a use-after-free because a transfer occurs without a reference, aka CID-056ad39ee925.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-12464?

It affects 10 products.


Products: Linux kernel, Netapp Active Iq Unified Manager, Netapp Aff A700s, Netapp Cloud Backup, Netapp Hci Baseboard Management Controller, Netapp Hci Compute Node, Netapp Hci Storage Nodes, Netapp Solidfire \& Hci Storage Node, Netapp Solidfire Baseboard Management Controller, Netapp Steelstore Cloud Integrated Storage.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-12464?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2020-12464 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-12464 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-12464 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-12464 is a medium-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 29 Apr 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-12464 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-12464/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-12464/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-12464
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-12464
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-12464

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-12464/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.