# CVE-2026-89624: HID: universal-pidff: stop the device when force-feedback init fails

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's universal-pidff HID driver allows local attackers to execute code or escalate privileges via a malicious device.

- **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:** 11 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-100731, BELL-CVE-2026-89624, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-89624, GHSA-xwr6-736m-c3p5, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-89624

## What is CVE-2026-89624?

CVE-2026-89624 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 11 Sep 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:

HID: universal-pidff: stop the device when force-feedback init fails

universal_pidff_probe() starts the device with hid_hw_start() and then, if
force-feedback initialisation fails, returns the error through a label that
only does "return error".  The device is left started.

The HID core does not unwind on the driver's behalf.  __hid_device_probe()
releases the devres group, closes the report and clears hdev->driver:

	if (ret) {
		devres_release_group(&hdev->dev, hdev->devres_group_id);
		hid_close_report(hdev);
		hdev->driver = NULL;
	}

The hidraw character device that hid_hw_start() registered through
hid_connect() is allocated with kzalloc() and added with cdev_device_add(),
so it is not devres-managed and survives that.  With hdev->driver NULL,
hid_device_remove() skips hid_hw_stop() as well, because it only unwinds
while a driver is still attached.  The registration therefore outlives the
device on both paths.

Opening the surviving /dev/hidrawX writes into freed memory.  KASAN reports
a use-after-free write from hidraw_open() -> hid_hw_open() -> the
transport's open callback, which takes a spinlock inside the freed object.
A descriptor that carries a PID usage page and no input reports is enough:
hidraw claims the device so hid_hw_start() succeeds, while hid->inputs
stays empty so force-feedback init fails.  The other failure returns in
hid_pidff_init_with_quirks() - no output reports, an allocation failure,
pidff_init_fields(), pidff_check_autocenter(), an unusable effect count,
input_ff_create() - all reach the same label.

Stop the device on that path.  hid-dr.c and hid-emsff.c, which start the
device with the same HID_CONNECT_DEFAULT & ~HID_CONNECT_FF mask, already do
this.  The two earlier gotos must keep returning without hid_hw_stop(),
since neither has a started device, so give the path that fails after the
start its own label.

Discovered by XBOW, triaged by Baul Lee <baul.lee@xbow.com>

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-89624?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-89624?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-89624 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-89624 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-89624 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-89624 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 11 Sep 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-2026-89624 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-2026-89624/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-89624/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-89624
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-89624
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-89624

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-89624/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.