Use-after-free in Linux kernel - CVE-2026-64071
Published: July 20, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU138571
CSH Severity: Low
CVSS v4.0: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-64071
CWE-ID: CWE-416
Exploitation vector: Local access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vendor: Linux Foundation
Affected software:
Linux kernel
Linux kernel
Detailed vulnerability description
The vulnerability allows a local user to cause a denial of service.
The vulnerability exists due to use-after-free in nvme_free_host_mem() when handling an error path during nvme_probe(). A local user can trigger repeated cleanup of host memory state to cause a denial of service.
This occurs when host memory buffer setup succeeds but a subsequent I/O error causes nvme_free_host_mem() to be invoked twice, leading to a kernel NULL pointer dereference. The issue was reproducible on Thunderbolt-attached NVMe devices with intermittent PCIe link instability.
How to mitigate CVE-2026-64071
Install security update from vendor's repository.