# CVE-2026-64589: i2c: core: fix NULL-deref on adapter registration failure

> A NULL pointer dereference in the Linux kernel i2c core can cause a denial of service if adapter registration fails.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 6 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 17 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-64589, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-64589, GHSA-g8cm-qf26-vx33, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-64589

## What is CVE-2026-64589?

CVE-2026-64589 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 6 Aug 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:

i2c: core: fix NULL-deref on adapter registration failure

If adapter registration ever fails the release callback would trigger a
NULL-pointer dereference as the completion struct has not been
initialised.

Note that before the offending commit this would instead have resulted
in a minor memory leak of the adapter name.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-64589?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-64589?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-64589 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-64589 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-64589 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-64589 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 6 Aug 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-2026-64589 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-2026-64589/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64589/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-64589
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-64589
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-64589

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-64589/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.