CVE-2026-98754 tty: vcc: hold port lock when clearing tty pointer in vcc_cleanup
A race condition in the Linux kernel's vcc driver allows local attackers to trigger a use-after-free, potentially leading to code execution or privilege escalation.
- 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-2026-98754?
CVE-2026-98754 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:
tty: vcc: hold port lock when clearing tty pointer in vcc_cleanup
vcc_cleanup() sets port->tty to NULL without holding port->lock, racing with vcc_event() LDC callbacks that read port->tty under port->lock and then use tty->port. This can cause a use-after-free when the callback dereferences tty->port after cleanup has already destroyed and freed it.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-98754?
How do I fix CVE-2026-98754?
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-2026-98754 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-98754 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-109044, BELL-CVE-2026-98754, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-98754, GHSA-phxc-9rqx-x894, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-98754.