# CVE-2026-64468: binder: fix UAF in binder_free_transaction()

> A use-after-free in the Linux kernel binder driver allows local 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:** 17 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-64468, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-64468, GHSA-3g5w-3hx7-q6vh, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2026-64468, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2026-64468, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-64468

## What is CVE-2026-64468?

CVE-2026-64468 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, 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:

binder: fix UAF in binder_free_transaction()

In binder_free_transaction(), the t->to_proc is read under the t->lock.
However, once the t->lock is dropped, the to_proc can die in parallel.
This leads to a use-after-free error when we attempt to acquire its
inner lock right afterwards:

  ==================================================================
  BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in _raw_spin_lock+0xe4/0x1a0
  Write of size 4 at addr ffff00001125da70 by task B/672

  CPU: 20 UID: 0 PID: 672 Comm: B Not tainted 7.1.0-rc6-00284-g8e65320d91cd #4 PREEMPT
  Hardware name: linux,dummy-virt (DT)
  Call trace:
   _raw_spin_lock+0xe4/0x1a0
   binder_free_transaction+0x8c/0x320
   binder_send_failed_reply+0x21c/0x2f8
   binder_thread_release+0x488/0x7e0
   binder_ioctl+0x12c0/0x29a0
  [...]

  Allocated by task 675:
   __kmalloc_cache_noprof+0x174/0x444
   binder_open+0x118/0xb70
   do_dentry_open+0x374/0x1040
   vfs_open+0x58/0x3bc
  [...]

  Freed by task 212:
   __kasan_slab_free+0x58/0x80
   kfree+0x1a0/0x4a4
   binder_proc_dec_tmpref+0x32c/0x5e0
   binder_deferred_func+0xc48/0x104c
   process_one_work+0x53c/0xbc0
  [...]
  ==================================================================

To prevent this, pin the target thread (t->to_thread) to guarantee the
target process remains alive. Undelivered transactions without a target
thread are already safe, as the target process can only be the current
context in those paths.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64468?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-64468?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-64468 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64468 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- Linux Binder binder_free_transaction() process-lifetime use-after-free (CVE-2026-64468): unprivileged PoC + x86_64 LPE. Authorised security research. (github_poc): https://github.com/aramosf/CVE-2026-64468

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-64468 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-64468 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, 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-2026-64468 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. 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-2026-64468/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64468/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64468
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64468
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-64468

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64468/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.