# CVE-2026-74441: usb: typec: ucsi: Fix race condition and ordering in port unregistration

> A race condition in the Linux kernel USB Type-C UCSI driver during port unregistration can cause use-after-free errors, leading to system crashes or potential code execution.

- **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:** 15 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 23 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2026-74441, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-74441, GHSA-5rw9-rvhw-f33h, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-74441

## What is CVE-2026-74441?

CVE-2026-74441 is a 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:

usb: typec: ucsi: Fix race condition and ordering in port unregistration

A synchronization issue exists during port unregistration where pending
partner work items can race against workqueue destruction, leading to
use-after-free conditions:

  cros_ec_ucsi cros_ec_ucsi.3.auto: error -ETIMEDOUT: PPM init failed
  BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000
  RIP: 0010:__queue_work+0x83/0x4a0
  Call Trace:
    <IRQ>
    __cfi_delayed_work_timer_fn+0x10/0x10
    run_timer_softirq+0x3b6/0xbd0
    sched_clock_cpu+0xc/0x110
    irq_exit_rcu+0x18d/0x330
    fred_sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x5e/0x80

Fix this by ensuring strict ordering and proper serialization during
teardown:

1. Move ucsi_unregister_partner() to the beginning of the teardown
sequence and protect it under the connector mutex lock.
2. Ensure all pending partner tasks are explicitly flushed and finished
before the workqueue is destroyed.
3. Switch from mod_delayed_work() to a cancel_delayed_work() and
queue_delayed_work() sequence. This guarantees that items currently marked
as pending won't be scheduled an additional time, preventing a double
release of resources which leads to the following crash:

  Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address
    0xdead000000000122: 0000 [#1] SMP NOPTI
  Workqueue: cros_ec_ucsi.3.auto-con2 ucsi_poll_worker
  RIP: 0010:ucsi_poll_worker+0x65/0x1e0
  Call Trace:
  <TASK>
    process_scheduled_works+0x218/0x6d0
    worker_thread+0x188/0x3f0
    __cfi_worker_thread+0x10/0x10
    kthread+0x226/0x2a0

To ensure these rules are applied identically across both the normal
teardown and the ucsi_init() error paths, consolidate the cleanup logic
into a new helper, ucsi_unregister_port().

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-74441?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-74441?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-74441 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-74441 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-74441 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-74441 is a 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-2026-74441 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-2026-74441/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74441/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-74441
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-74441
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-74441

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-74441/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.