CVE-2026-53157 net: phonet: free phonet_device after RCU grace period
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Phonet subsystem allows attackers to potentially execute code or escalate privileges via improper memory handling.
- 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
What is CVE-2026-53157?
CVE-2026-53157 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 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:
net: phonet: free phonet_device after RCU grace period
phonet_device_destroy() removes a phonet_device from the per-net device list with list_del_rcu(), but frees it immediately. RCU readers walking the same list can still hold a pointer to the object after it has been removed, leading to a slab-use-after-free.
Use kfree_rcu(), matching the lifetime rule already used by phonet_address_del() for the same object type.
Weakness: CWE-416
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53157?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2026-53157?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2026-53157 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53157 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as AZL-90455, BELL-CVE-2026-53157, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53157, GHSA-w8w6-f4mm-hw75, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2026-53157, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-53157 and 4 more.