CVE-2026-64363 HID: appleir: fix UAF on pending key_up_timer in remove()

What is CVE-2026-64363?

CVE-2026-64363 is a high-severity use after free 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:

HID: appleir: fix UAF on pending key_up_timer in remove()

appleir_remove() runs hid_hw_stop() before timer_delete_sync(). hid_hw_stop() synchronously unregisters the HID input device via hid_disconnect() -> hidinput_disconnect() -> input_unregister_device(), which drops the last reference and frees the underlying input_dev when no userspace handle holds it open.

key_up_tick() reads appleir->input_dev and calls input_report_key() / input_sync() on it. The timer is armed from appleir_raw_event() with a HZ/8 (~125 ms) timeout on every keydown and key-repeat report. If a key was pressed shortly before the device is disconnected, the timer can fire after hid_hw_stop() has freed input_dev but before the teardown drains it.

A simple reorder is not sufficient. Putting the timer drain first still leaves a window where a USB URB completion (raw_event) running during hid_hw_stop() can call mod_timer() and re-arm the timer, which then fires after hidinput_disconnect() has freed input_dev. The same URB-completion window also lets raw_event() reach key_up(), key_down() and battery_flat() directly, all of which dereference appleir->input_dev.

Introduce a 'removing' flag on struct appleir, gated by the existing spinlock. appleir_remove() sets the flag under the lock and then shuts down the timer with timer_shutdown_sync(), which both drains any in-flight callback and permanently disables further mod_timer() calls. appleir_raw_event() and key_up_tick() bail out early if the flag is set, so no path can arm or run the timer, or dereference appleir->input_dev, after remove() has started tearing down.

The keyrepeat and flatbattery branches of appleir_raw_event() previously called into the input layer without holding the spinlock; take it now so the flag check is well-defined. This incidentally closes a pre-existing read-side race on appleir->current_key in the keyrepeat branch.

This bug is structurally a sibling of commit 4db2af929279 ("HID: appletb-kbd: fix UAF in inactivity-timer cleanup path") and has been present since the driver was introduced.

Weakness: CWE-416

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64363?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2026-64363?

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-2026-64363 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64363 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

• CVE-2026-53266 Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2013-6282 Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation Exploited High 8.8
• CVE-2022-0185 Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2013-2094 Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation Exploited High 8.4
• CVE-2026-53362 Linux Kernel Unspecified Exploited High 7.8

All Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as AZL-93554, BELL-CVE-2026-64363, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-64363, GHSA-ffm7-cr74-h9f8, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-64363, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-64363.