Use After Free in Linux

CVE-2026-43459

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ASoC: soc-core: flush delayed work before removing DAIs and widgets When a sound card is unbound while a PCM stream is open, a use-after-free can occur in snd_soc_dapm_stream_event(), called from the close_delayed_work workqueue handler. During unbind, snd_soc_unbind_card() flushes delayed work and then calls soc_cleanup_card_resources(). Inside cleanup, snd_card_disconnect_sync() releases all PCM file descriptors, and the resulting PCM close path can call snd_soc_dapm_stream_stop() which schedules new delayed work with a pmdown_time timer delay. Since this happens after the flush in snd_soc_unbind_card(), the new work is not caught. soc_remove_link_components() then frees DAPM widgets before this work fires, leading to the use-after-free. The existing flush in soc_free_pcm_runtime() also cannot help as it runs after soc_remove_link_components() has already freed the widgets. Add a flush in soc_cleanup_card_resources() after snd_card_disconnect_sync() (after which no new PCM closes can schedule further delayed work) and before soc_remove_link_dais() and soc_remove_link_components() (which tear down the structures the delayed work accesses).

Vulnerability class: Use-After-Free

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.3 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.002 (5.1th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 5th percentile — 5.1% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2026-43459: held from 0.001 to 0.002.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.001 · newest: 0.002 · change: +0.001

Affected products

  • Linux — versions e894efef9ac7c10b7727798dcc711cccf07569f9, 4.20, 0
  • Linux Kernel — versions 7.0

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-43459?
CVE-2026-43459 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, classified under Use After Free. CVSS score: 7.3/10. Published 2026-05-08.
How severe is CVE-2026-43459?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.3 out of 10.