# CVE-2026-74369: liveupdate: fix u-a-f in luo_file_unpreserve_files() and luo_file_finish()

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel liveupdate subsystem allows local attackers with high privileges to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 15 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 17 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-74369, GHSA-98h5-hm5g-wr83, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74369

## What is CVE-2026-74369?

CVE-2026-74369 is an 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:

liveupdate: fix u-a-f in luo_file_unpreserve_files() and luo_file_finish()

In luo_file_unpreserve_files() and luo_file_finish(), reorder
module_put() and xa_erase() to ensure the file handler module remains
pinned while its operations are being accessed.

Specifically, luo_get_id() dereferences fh->ops->get_id, so the module
reference must be held until after xa_erase() (which calls luo_get_id)
completes.

For luo_file_finish(), this requires moving the module_put() call out of
the luo_file_finish_one() helper and into the main loop of
luo_file_finish() itself.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74369?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-74369?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-74369 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74369 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-74369 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-74369 is an 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-2026-74369 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-2026-74369/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74369/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-74369
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-74369
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-74369

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74369/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.