Use After Free in Linux
CVE-2026-43237
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/amdgpu: Refactor amdgpu_gem_va_ioctl for Handling Last Fence Update and Timeline Management v4 This commit simplifies the amdgpu_gem_va_ioctl function, key updates include: - Moved the logic for managing the last update fence directly into amdgpu_gem_va_update_vm. - Introduced checks for the timeline point to enable conditional replacement or addition of fences. v2: Addressed review comments from Christian. v3: Updated comments (Christian). v4: The previous version selected the fence too early and did not manage its reference correctly, which could lead to stale or freed fences being used. This resulted in refcount underflows and could crash when updating GPU timelines. The fence is now chosen only after the VA mapping work is completed, and its reference is taken safely. After exporting it to the VM timeline syncobj, the driver always drops its local fence reference, ensuring balanced refcounting and avoiding use-after-free on dma_fence. Crash signature: [ 205.828135] refcount_t: underflow; use-after-free. [ 205.832963] WARNING: CPU: 30 PID: 7274 at lib/refcount.c:28 refcount_warn_saturate+0xbe/0x110 ... [ 206.074014] Call Trace: [ 206.076488] <TASK> [ 206.078608] amdgpu_gem_va_ioctl+0x6ea/0x740 [amdgpu] [ 206.084040] ? __pfx_amdgpu_gem_va_ioctl+0x10/0x10 [amdgpu] [ 206.089994] drm_ioctl_kernel+0x86/0xe0 [drm] [ 206.094415] drm_ioctl+0x26e/0x520 [drm] [ 206.098424] ? __pfx_amdgpu_gem_va_ioctl+0x10/0x10 [amdgpu] [ 206.104402] amdgpu_drm_ioctl+0x4b/0x80 [amdgpu] [ 206.109387] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x96/0xe0 [ 206.113156] do_syscall_64+0x66/0x2d0 ... [ 206.553351] BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ffffffffc0dfde90 ... [ 206.553378] RIP: 0010:dma_fence_signal_timestamp_locked+0x39/0xe0 ... [ 206.553405] Call Trace: [ 206.553409] <IRQ> [ 206.553415] ? __pfx_drm_sched_fence_free_rcu+0x10/0x10 [gpu_sched] [ 206.553424] dma_fence_signal+0x30/0x60 [ 206.553427] drm_sched_job_done.isra.0+0x123/0x150 [gpu_sched] [ 206.553434] dma_fence_signal_timestamp_locked+0x6e/0xe0 [ 206.553437] dma_fence_signal+0x30/0x60 [ 206.553441] amdgpu_fence_process+0xd8/0x150 [amdgpu] [ 206.553854] sdma_v4_0_process_trap_irq+0x97/0xb0 [amdgpu] [ 206.554353] edac_mce_amd(E) ee1004(E) [ 206.554270] amdgpu_irq_dispatch+0x150/0x230 [amdgpu] [ 206.554702] amdgpu_ih_process+0x6a/0x180 [amdgpu] [ 206.555101] amdgpu_irq_handler+0x23/0x60 [amdgpu] [ 206.555500] __handle_irq_event_percpu+0x4a/0x1c0 [ 206.555506] handle_irq_event+0x38/0x80 [ 206.555509] handle_edge_irq+0x92/0x1e0 [ 206.555513] __common_interrupt+0x3e/0xb0 [ 206.555519] common_interrupt+0x80/0xa0 [ 206.555525] </IRQ> [ 206.555527] <TASK> ... [ 206.555650] RIP: 0010:dma_fence_signal_timestamp_locked+0x39/0xe0 ... [ 206.555667] Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception in interrupt
Vulnerability class: Use-After-Free
Published · last modified .
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.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.002 (5.5th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 5th percentile — 5.5% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.001 · newest: 0.002 · change: +0.000
Affected products
- Linux — versions 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, 7.0, 6.16
- Linux Kernel
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-43237?
- CVE-2026-43237 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under Use After Free. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2026-05-06.
- How severe is CVE-2026-43237?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.