# CVE-2026-90032: media: usbtv: keep device alive while ALSA card exists

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel usbtv driver allows attackers to cause denial of service or execute code via USB disconnect race conditions.

- **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-101586, BELL-CVE-2026-90032, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-90032, GHSA-2r4w-xph6-45qv, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-90032

## What is CVE-2026-90032?

CVE-2026-90032 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: usbtv: keep device alive while ALSA card exists

The ALSA PCM callbacks store the driver state in pcm->private_data. An
open PCM file can outlive USB disconnect because usbtv_audio_free() uses
snd_card_free_when_closed(). The disconnect path can then drop the V4L2
device reference and free struct usbtv before ALSA releases the substream,
so a later close dereferences freed memory in snd_usbtv_pcm_close().

Take a V4L2 device reference for the ALSA card and drop it from the card
private_free callback. This keeps struct usbtv valid until ALSA has closed
the remaining files and freed the card.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-90032?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-90032?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-90032 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-90032 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-90032 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-90032 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-2026-90032 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-2026-90032/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-90032/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-90032
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-90032
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-90032

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-90032/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.