# CVE-2026-93081: firmware: arm_scmi: Fix SCMI device destroy lifetimes

> A use-after-free in the Linux kernel SCMI driver allows local attackers to execute code or escalate privileges via race conditions during device destruction.

- **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:** 17 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-103038, BELL-CVE-2026-93081, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-93081, GHSA-x6gc-qjww-67r2, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-93081

## What is CVE-2026-93081?

CVE-2026-93081 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 17 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:

firmware: arm_scmi: Fix SCMI device destroy lifetimes

scmi_child_dev_find() drops the reference returned by
device_find_child() before returning the scmi_device pointer. A
concurrent unregister can then release the device while the destroy path
is still using the returned pointer.

Make the lookup helper return the device_find_child() reference and keep
it until scmi_device_destroy() has finished unregistering the child.

Also split device_unregister() in __scmi_device_destroy() so the SCMI bus
ID is not made reusable until after device_del() has removed the old
scmi_dev.N name from sysfs. This avoids a new SCMI device reusing the
same ID while the old device is still registered.

The final device release callback is also a possible cleanup path when
SCMI children are deleted by driver core recursion rather than
__scmi_device_destroy(). Release the SCMI bus ID from a common helper
used by destroy, register-failure and final-release paths, and clear
scmi_dev->id after freeing it so the final release cannot free the same
ID again.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-93081?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-93081?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-93081 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-93081 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-93081 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-93081 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 17 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-2026-93081 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-2026-93081/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-93081/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-93081
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-93081
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-93081

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-93081/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.