CVE-2025-68822 Input: alps - fix use-after-free bugs caused by dev3_register_work
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel ALPS touchpad driver allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges via a race condition.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2025-68822?
CVE-2025-68822 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 13 Jan 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
Input: alps - fix use-after-free bugs caused by dev3_register_work
The dev3_register_work delayed work item is initialized within alps_reconnect() and scheduled upon receipt of the first bare PS/2 packet from an external PS/2 device connected to the ALPS touchpad. During device detachment, the original implementation calls flush_workqueue() in psmouse_disconnect() to ensure completion of dev3_register_work. However, the flush_workqueue() in psmouse_disconnect() only blocks and waits for work items that were already queued to the workqueue prior to its invocation. Any work items submitted after flush_workqueue() is called are not included in the set of tasks that the flush operation awaits. This means that after flush_workqueue() has finished executing, the dev3_register_work could still be scheduled. Although the psmouse state is set to PSMOUSE_CMD_MODE in psmouse_disconnect(), the scheduling of dev3_register_work remains unaffected.
The race condition can occur as follows:
CPU 0 (cleanup path) | CPU 1 (delayed work) psmouse_disconnect() | psmouse_set_state() | flush_workqueue() | alps_report_bare_ps2_packet() alps_disconnect() | psmouse_queue_work() kfree(priv); // FREE | alps_register_bare_ps2_mouse() | priv = container_of(work...); // USE | priv->dev3 // USE
Add disable_delayed_work_sync() in alps_disconnect() to ensure that dev3_register_work is properly canceled and prevented from executing after the alps_data structure has been deallocated.
This bug is identified by static analysis.
Weakness: CWE-416
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-68822?
How do I fix CVE-2025-68822?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2025-68822 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-68822 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-74300, BELL-CVE-2025-68822, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-68822, GHSA-5w2m-pcx5-5834, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-68822, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-68822 and 3 more.