# CVE-2026-46098: net: caif: clear client service pointer on teardown

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel CAIF network driver allows a local attacker to cause a system crash by triggering a double free during socket teardown.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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:** 14 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-88517, BELL-CVE-2026-46098, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-46098, GHSA-vfvp-r4j5-4q92, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-46098, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-46098, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-46098, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2026-46098, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-46098

## What is CVE-2026-46098?

CVE-2026-46098 is a medium-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: caif: clear client service pointer on teardown

`caif_connect()` can tear down an existing client after remote shutdown by
calling `caif_disconnect_client()` followed by `caif_free_client()`.
`caif_free_client()` releases the service layer referenced by
`adap_layer->dn`, but leaves that pointer stale.

When the socket is later destroyed, `caif_sock_destructor()` calls
`caif_free_client()` again and dereferences the freed service pointer.

Clear the client/service links before releasing the service object so
repeated teardown becomes harmless.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-46098?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-46098?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-46098 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-46098 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-2026-46098 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-46098 is a medium-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-2026-46098 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-2026-46098/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46098/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-46098
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46098
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-46098

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46098/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.