CVE-2026-98218 i2c: atr: fix dangling adapter pointer on add failure
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's I2C ATR driver allows local attackers to cause denial of service or potentially execute code.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-98218?
CVE-2026-98218 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 6 Oct 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:
i2c: atr: fix dangling adapter pointer on add failure
i2c_atr_add_adapter() stores atr->adapter[chan_id] before i2c_add_adapter() so that the I2C bus notifier can match child clients during registration. On failure the channel is freed but the slot was left pointing at freed memory, which can lead to use-after-free in i2c_atr_del_adapter() / cleanup and also block reuse with -EEXIST.
Clear the slot on the i2c_add_adapter() error path before freeing chan.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98218?
How do I fix CVE-2026-98218?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2026-98218 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98218 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-106197, BELL-CVE-2026-98218, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98218, GHSA-r8g8-p677-vvfc, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98218.