# CVE-2026-46210: media: iris: fix use-after-free of fmt_src during MBPF check

> A race condition in the Linux kernel iris media driver allows a use-after-free, potentially enabling local attackers to execute 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:** 28 May 2026
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-46210, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-46210, GHSA-v3mx-wgxp-826p, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-46210

## What is CVE-2026-46210?

CVE-2026-46210 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 28 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:

media: iris: fix use-after-free of fmt_src during MBPF check

During concurrency testing, multiple instances can run in parallel, and
each instance uses its own inst->lock while the core->lock protects the
list of active instances. The race happens because these locks cover
different scopes, inst->lock protects only the internals of a single
instance, while the Macro Blocks Per Frame (MBPF) checker walks the
core list under core->lock and reads fields like fmt_src->width and
fmt_src->height. At the same time, iris_close() may free fmt_src and
fmt_dst under inst->lock while the instance is still present in the core
list. This allows a situation where the MBPF checker, still iterating
through the core list, reaches an instance whose fmt_src was already
freed by another thread and ends up dereferencing a dangling pointer,
resulting in a use-after-free. This happens because the MBPF checker
assumes that any instance in the core list is fully valid, but the
freeing of fmt_src and fmt_dst without removing the instance from the
core list is not correct.

The correct ordering is to defer freeing fmt_src and fmt_dst until after
the instance has been removed from the core list and all teardown under
the core lock has completed, ensuring that no dangling pointers are ever
exposed during MBPF checks.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-46210?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-46210?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-46210 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-46210 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-2026-46210 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-46210 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 28 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-2026-46210 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-2026-46210/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46210/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-46210
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-46210
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-46210

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46210/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.