# 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.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **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:** 18 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-109004, BELL-CVE-2026-98483, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98483, GHSA-qhvx-2qrr-cpv7, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98483

## 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.

## Is CVE-2026-98483 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98483 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98483 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98483 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-2026-98483/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98483/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98483
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98483
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98483

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98483/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.