# CVE-2026-98696: USB: serial: fix driver deregistration order

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel USB serial driver allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges during module unloading.

- **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-108897, BELL-CVE-2026-98696, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98696, GHSA-7jf2-f6fj-7mgx, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98696

## What is CVE-2026-98696?

CVE-2026-98696 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:

USB: serial: fix driver deregistration order

USB serial driver modules register one driver for the USB bus and one or
more drivers for the ports on the USB serial bus.

When unloading a driver module, the USB driver must be deregistered
before the USB serial bus drivers so that I/O is stopped before
unbinding the ports to avoid use-after-free in completion handlers
accessing port data.

Note that the "new_id" attributes must first be removed to prevent new
ids from being added and triggering a probe of the USB driver after it
has been deregistered.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98696?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-98696?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-98696 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98696 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-98696 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-98696 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-2026-98696 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-2026-98696/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98696/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-98696
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-98696
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-98696

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-98696/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.