# CVE-2026-53116: s390/ap: use generic driver_override infrastructure

> A race condition in the Linux kernel s390 AP bus 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:** 24 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 24 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53116, GHSA-r2jg-mcxg-628g, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-53116

## What is CVE-2026-53116?

CVE-2026-53116 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 Jun 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:

s390/ap: use generic driver_override infrastructure

When the AP masks are updated via apmask_store() or aqmask_store(),
ap_bus_revise_bindings() is called after ap_attr_mutex has been
released.

This calls __ap_revise_reserved(), which accesses the driver_override
field without holding any lock, racing against a concurrent
driver_override_store() that may free the old string, resulting in a
potential UAF.

Fix this by using the driver-core driver_override infrastructure, which
protects all accesses with an internal spinlock.

Note that unlike most other buses, the AP bus does not check
driver_override in its match() callback; the override is checked in
ap_device_probe() and __ap_revise_reserved() instead.

Also note that we do not enable the driver_override feature of struct
bus_type, as AP - in contrast to most other buses - passes "" to
sysfs_emit() when the driver_override pointer is NULL. Thus, printing
"\n" instead of "(null)\n".

Additionally, AP has a custom counter that is modified in the
corresponding custom driver_override_store().

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53116?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-53116?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-53116 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53116 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-2026-53116 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-53116 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 Jun 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-2026-53116 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-2026-53116/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53116/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53116
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53116
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-53116

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53116/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.