# CVE-2026-89870: media: zoran: Avoid freeing a registered video_device twice

> A double-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's zoran video driver allows attackers to cause denial of service or potentially execute code via device teardown.

- **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:** 16 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-101579, BELL-CVE-2026-89870, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-89870, GHSA-vq76-xc8w-vp5g, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-89870

## What is CVE-2026-89870?

CVE-2026-89870 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 16 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:

media: zoran: Avoid freeing a registered video_device twice

zoran_init_video_device() installs zoran_vdev_release() as the
video_device release callback through zoran_template. After
video_register_device() succeeds, video_unregister_device() drops the
registered video_device reference and the V4L2 core eventually invokes
that release callback, which kfree()s the video_device.

zoran_exit_video_devices() called video_unregister_device() and then
kfree(zr->video_dev), so device teardown could free the same
video_device twice.

Remove the direct kfree() and clear the cached pointer after
unregistering. The pre-registration failure path keeps its manual free
because the video_device was not registered there.

This issue was found by a static analysis checker and confirmed by
manual source review.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-89870?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-89870?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-89870 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-89870 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-89870 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-89870 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 16 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-2026-89870 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-2026-89870/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-89870/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-89870
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-89870
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-89870

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-89870/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.