CVE-2026-23291 nfc: pn533: properly drop the usb interface reference on disconnect
A reference counting error in the Linux kernel NFC driver can lead to a use-after-free condition upon device disconnection, potentially causing a system crash.
- 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-2026-23291?
CVE-2026-23291 is a medium-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Mar 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:
nfc: pn533: properly drop the usb interface reference on disconnect
When the device is disconnected from the driver, there is a "dangling" reference count on the usb interface that was grabbed in the probe callback. Fix this up by properly dropping the reference after we are done with it.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-23291?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2026-23291?
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-2026-23291 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-23291 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-23291, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-23291, GHSA-3m5v-fjjv-99m5, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-23291, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-23291, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2026-23291 and 3 more.