CVE-2026-98483 nfc: fix use-after-free in nfc_get_local_general_bytes
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel NFC subsystem allows local attackers to potentially execute code or escalate privileges.
- 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
What is CVE-2026-98483?
CVE-2026-98483 is an use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 18 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:
nfc: fix use-after-free in nfc_get_local_general_bytes
Commit 6709d4b7bc2e ("net: nfc: Fix use-after-free caused by nfc_llcp_find_local") attempted to fix a use-after-free (UAF) issue by invoking nfc_llcp_local_put(local) after accessing local->gb. However, if the reference count drops to zero, local is freed immediately, leading to a use-after-free when callers access the returned pointer. Alternative approaches using dynamic allocation (e.g. kmemdup) introduced memory leaks because callers consistently treat the returned pointer as borrowed memory.
Fix this properly by refactoring nfc_llcp_general_bytes() and nfc_get_local_general_bytes() to accept a caller-provided output buffer (out_gb) and its maximum length (gb_max_len). The general bytes are safely copied into out_gb before calling nfc_llcp_local_put(local), ensuring safe lifetime management without ownership transfer complications.
Update all callers across drivers (microread, pn533, pn544, st21nfca, digital_dep, and nci) to provide their own destination buffers and pass them to nfc_get_local_general_bytes().
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98483?
How do I fix CVE-2026-98483?
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-2026-98483 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98483 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-109004, BELL-CVE-2026-98483, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98483, GHSA-qhvx-2qrr-cpv7, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98483.