CVE-2025-71145 usb: phy: isp1301: fix non-OF device reference imbalance
A reference counting error in the Linux kernel's ISP1301 USB PHY driver allows a use-after-free, potentially leading to code execution or system crashes.
- 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-2025-71145?
CVE-2025-71145 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 23 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:
usb: phy: isp1301: fix non-OF device reference imbalance
A recent change fixing a device reference leak in a UDC driver introduced a potential use-after-free in the non-OF case as the isp1301_get_client() helper only increases the reference count for the returned I2C device in the OF case.
Increment the reference count also for non-OF so that the caller can decrement it unconditionally.
Note that this is inherently racy just as using the returned I2C device is since nothing is preventing the PHY driver from being unbound while in use.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-71145?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2025-71145?
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-2025-71145 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-71145 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as GHSA-8hw4-vmgm-gx5f, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-71145.