# CVE-2026-45852: RDMA/rxe: Fix double free in rxe_srq_from_init

> A double free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's RDMA/rxe driver allows local attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 27 May 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-45852, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-45852, GHSA-m5rc-6p5x-73gp, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-45852, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-45852, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-45852, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-45852

## What is CVE-2026-45852?

CVE-2026-45852 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 May 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:

RDMA/rxe: Fix double free in rxe_srq_from_init

In rxe_srq_from_init(), the queue pointer 'q' is assigned to
'srq->rq.queue' before copying the SRQ number to user space.
If copy_to_user() fails, the function calls rxe_queue_cleanup()
to free the queue, but leaves the now-invalid pointer in
'srq->rq.queue'.

The caller of rxe_srq_from_init() (rxe_create_srq) eventually
calls rxe_srq_cleanup() upon receiving the error, which triggers
a second rxe_queue_cleanup() on the same memory, leading to a
double free.

The call trace looks like this:
   kmem_cache_free+0x.../0x...
   rxe_queue_cleanup+0x1a/0x30 [rdma_rxe]
   rxe_srq_cleanup+0x42/0x60 [rdma_rxe]
   rxe_elem_release+0x31/0x70 [rdma_rxe]
   rxe_create_srq+0x12b/0x1a0 [rdma_rxe]
   ib_create_srq_user+0x9a/0x150 [ib_core]

Fix this by moving 'srq->rq.queue = q' after copy_to_user.

Weakness: CWE-1341 (Multiple Releases of Same Resource or Handle), CWE-415 (Double Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-45852?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-45852?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-45852 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-45852 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-2026-45852 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-45852 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 May 2026. 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-2026-45852 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-2026-45852/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-45852/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-45852
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-45852
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-45852

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-45852/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.