# CVE-2026-64331: usbip: vudc: fix NULL deref in vep_dequeue()

> A NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel's USBIP vudc driver allows local attackers to cause a system crash via FunctionFS AIO cancellations.

- **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:** 25 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 17 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-64331, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-64331, GHSA-x846-472j-jj99, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-64331, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-64331

## What is CVE-2026-64331?

CVE-2026-64331 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 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:

usbip: vudc: fix NULL deref in vep_dequeue()

vep_alloc_request() wasn't initializing vrequest->udc, so cancellations
on the FunctionFS AIO path were arriving in vep_dequeue without a valid
UDC reference.

Since vrequest->udc is never actually properly used anywhere, we opt to
remove it, and update vep_dequeue to obtain a reference to the udc with
ep_to_vudc(), consistent with the other vep_ ops.

AFAICT this bug has existed for ~10 years. Seems that nobody has really
stressed the FunctionFS AIO path on usbip's vudc.

I tested this fix in a QEMU aarch64 guest driving FunctionFS endpoints
via AIO. Before the fix, running `usbip attach` from the host would
cause the guest to oops with the following backtrace:

Call trace:
 vep_dequeue+0x1c/0xe4 (P)
 usb_ep_dequeue+0x14/0x20
 ffs_aio_cancel+0x24/0x34
 __arm64_sys_io_cancel+0xb0/0x124
 do_el0_svc+0x68/0x100
 el0_svc+0x18/0x5c
 el0t_64_sync_handler+0x98/0xdc
 el0t_64_sync+0x154/0x158

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64331?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-64331?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-64331 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64331 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-2026-64331 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-64331 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Jul 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-2026-64331 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-2026-64331/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64331/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64331
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64331
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-64331

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64331/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.