# CVE-2026-98657: iio: proximity: pulsedlight: fix iio_device left registered on PM setup failure

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's pulsedlight proximity driver allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service.

- **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:** 18 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-108623, BELL-CVE-2026-98657, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98657, GHSA-26f7-hh7p-wmqm, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98657

## What is CVE-2026-98657?

CVE-2026-98657 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:

iio: proximity: pulsedlight: fix iio_device left registered on PM setup failure

pm_runtime_set_active() failing in probe() jumps to error_unreg_buffer,
which only calls iio_triggered_buffer_cleanup() -- it does not undo the
iio_device_register() that already succeeded a few lines above. probe()
then returns the error, the devm-managed indio_dev is freed, but the
iio core still has it registered: the sysfs/chardev nodes stay live and
point at freed memory.

Add an error_unreg_dev label that unregisters the iio device before
falling through to the existing buffer cleanup, mirroring the teardown
order already used in lidar_remove().

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98657?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-98657?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98657 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98657 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98657 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98657 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-2026-98657 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-2026-98657/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98657/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98657
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98657
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98657

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98657/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.