Use After Free in Linux
CVE-2026-22995
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ublk: fix use-after-free in ublk_partition_scan_work A race condition exists between the async partition scan work and device teardown that can lead to a use-after-free of ub->ub_disk: 1. ublk_ctrl_start_dev() schedules partition_scan_work after add_disk() 2. ublk_stop_dev() calls ublk_stop_dev_unlocked() which does: - del_gendisk(ub->ub_disk) - ublk_detach_disk() sets ub->ub_disk = NULL - put_disk() which may free the disk 3. The worker ublk_partition_scan_work() then dereferences ub->ub_disk leading to UAF Fix this by using ublk_get_disk()/ublk_put_disk() in the worker to hold a reference to the disk during the partition scan. The spinlock in ublk_get_disk() synchronizes with ublk_detach_disk() ensuring the worker either gets a valid reference or sees NULL and exits early. Also change flush_work() to cancel_work_sync() to avoid running the partition scan work unnecessarily when the disk is already detached.
Vulnerability class: Use-After-Free
EPSS: 0.001 (1.8th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Affected products
- Linux — versions 63dfbcd59b4b823eac4441efff10b1c303c8f49f, 7fc4da6a304bdcd3de14fc946dc2c19437a9cc5a, 6.18.4
- Linux Linux_kernel — versions 6.19
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-22995?
- CVE-2026-22995 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under Use After Free. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2026-01-23.
- How severe is CVE-2026-22995?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.