CVE-2026-64222 octeontx2-pf: avoid double free of pool->stack on AQ init failure
A double-free vulnerability in the OcteonTX2 network driver allows attackers to cause denial of service or potentially execute code via crafted hardware interactions.
- 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-2026-64222?
CVE-2026-64222 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 24 Jul 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:
octeontx2-pf: avoid double free of pool->stack on AQ init failure
otx2_pool_aq_init() frees pool->stack when mailbox sync or retry allocation fails, but leaves the pointer unchanged. Later, otx2_sq_aura_pool_init() unwinds the partial setup through otx2_aura_pool_free(), which frees pool->stack again. The CN20K-specific cn20k_pool_aq_init() implementation has the same bug in its corresponding error path.
Set pool->stack to NULL immediately after the local free so the shared cleanup path does not free the same stack again while cleaning up partially initialized pool state.
The bug was first flagged by an experimental analysis tool we are developing for kernel memory-management bugs while analyzing v6.13-rc1. The tool is still under development and is not yet publicly available. Manual inspection confirms that the bug is still present in v7.1-rc3.
Runtime validation was not performed because reproducing this path requires OcteonTX2/CN20K hardware.
Weakness: CWE-415
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64222?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2026-64222?
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-2026-64222 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64222 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2026-64222, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-64222, GHSA-xhjp-r5qg-3389, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-64222, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-64222.