# CVE-2026-45891: net: hns3: fix double free issue for tx spare buffer

> A double-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's hns3 network driver allows attackers to cause denial of service or potentially execute code via crafted network traffic.

- **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:** 27 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-45891, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-45891, GHSA-h6g2-742c-p38f, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-45891, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-45891, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-45891

## What is CVE-2026-45891?

CVE-2026-45891 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:

net: hns3: fix double free issue for tx spare buffer

In hns3_set_ringparam(), a temporary copy (tmp_rings) of the ring structure
is created for rollback. However, the tx_spare pointer in the original
ring handle is incorrectly left pointing to the old backup memory.

Later, if memory allocation fails in hns3_init_all_ring() during the setup,
the error path attempts to free all newly allocated rings. Since tx_spare
contains a stale (non-NULL) pointer from the backup, it is mistaken for
a newly allocated buffer and is erroneously freed, leading to a double-free
of the backup memory.

The root cause is that the tx_spare field was not cleared after its value
was saved in tmp_rings, leaving a dangling pointer.

Fix this by setting tx_spare to NULL in the original ring structure
when the creation of the new `tx_spare` fails. This ensures the
error cleanup path only frees genuinely newly allocated buffers.

Weakness: CWE-415 (Double Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-45891?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-45891?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-45891 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-45891 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-2026-45891 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-45891 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-2026-45891 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-2026-45891/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-45891/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-45891
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-45891
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-45891

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-45891/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.