# CVE-2026-64372: cpufreq: pcc: fix use-after-free and double free in _OSC evaluation

> A use-after-free and double free vulnerability in the Linux kernel cpufreq driver allows attackers to potentially 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:** 25 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-93914, BELL-CVE-2026-64372, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-64372, GHSA-987r-r7fx-f5cm, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-64372, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-64372, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-64372

## What is CVE-2026-64372?

CVE-2026-64372 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:

cpufreq: pcc: fix use-after-free and double free in _OSC evaluation

pcc_cpufreq_do_osc() calls acpi_evaluate_object() twice for the
two-phase _OSC negotiation. Between the two calls it freed
output.pointer but left output.length unchanged. Since
acpi_evaluate_object() treats a non-zero length with a non-NULL
pointer as an existing buffer to write into, the second call wrote
into freed memory (use-after-free). The subsequent kfree(output.pointer)
at out_free then freed the same pointer a second time (double free).

Reset output.pointer to NULL and output.length to ACPI_ALLOCATE_BUFFER
after freeing the first result, so ACPICA allocates a fresh buffer for
each phase independently.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64372?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-64372?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-64372 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64372 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-2026-64372 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-64372 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64372 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-2026-64372/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64372/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64372
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64372
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-64372

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64372/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.