# CVE-2026-72125: can: isotp: fix use-after-free race with concurrent NETDEV_UNREGISTER

> A race condition in the Linux kernel CAN ISO-TP protocol allows a use-after-free, potentially leading to code execution or system crashes.

- **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:** 15 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 16 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-72125, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-72125, GHSA-37fw-xv85-q5fg, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-72125

## What is CVE-2026-72125?

CVE-2026-72125 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 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:

can: isotp: fix use-after-free race with concurrent NETDEV_UNREGISTER

isotp_release() looked up the bound network device via dev_get_by_index()
using the stored ifindex. During device unregistration the device is
unlisted from the ifindex hash before the NETDEV_UNREGISTER notifier
chain runs, so a concurrent isotp_release() could find no device, skip
can_rx_unregister() entirely, and still proceed to free the socket.
Since isotp_release() had already removed itself from the isotp
notifier list at that point, isotp_notify() would never get a chance to
clean up either, leaving a stale CAN filter that keeps pointing at the
freed socket.

Fix this the same way raw.c already does: hold a tracked reference to
the bound net_device in the socket (so->dev/so->dev_tracker) from
bind() onward instead of re-resolving it from the ifindex, and
serialize bind()/release() with rtnl_lock() so that so->dev is always
consistent with what the NETDEV_UNREGISTER notifier sees. so->dev
stays valid regardless of ifindex-hash unlisting, and is only ever
cleared by whichever of isotp_release()/isotp_notify() gets there
first, so the filter is always removed exactly once.

isotp_bind() now rejects a (re)bind with -EAGAIN while so->[tx|rx].state
isn't ISOTP_IDLE yet, so a timer left running by a prior
NETDEV_UNREGISTER can't act on a newly bound so->ifindex. Both checks
share the same lock_sock() section, so there is no window in which a
concurrent isotp_notify() clearing so->bound could be missed.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-72125?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-72125?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-72125 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72125 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-72125 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-72125 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 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-2026-72125 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-2026-72125/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72125/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72125
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72125
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-72125

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72125/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.