NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

CVE-2026-23281: wifi: libertas: fix use-after-free in lbs_free_adapter()

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 31/100)

The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.13% (FIRST EPSS).
Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
Fixed version: Linux Linux 03cc8f90d0537fcd4985c3319b4fafbf2e3fb1f0, 09f3c30ab3b1371eaf9676a1b8add57bca763083, 3c5c818c78b03a1725f3dcd566865c77b48dd3a6; azl3 kernel 6.6.126.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.130.1-1.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 03cc8f90d0537fcd4985c3319b4fafbf2e3fb1f0, 09f3c30ab3b1371eaf9676a1b8add57bca763083, 3c5c818c78b03a1725f3dcd566865c77b48dd3a6; azl3 kernel 6.6.126.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.130.1-1 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: libertas: fix use-after-free in lbs_free_adapter() The lbs_free_adapter() function uses timer_delete() (non-synchronous) for both command_timer and tx_lockup_timer before the structure is freed. This is incorrect because timer_delete() does not wait for any running timer callback to complete. If a timer callback is executing when lbs_free_adapter() is called, the callback will access freed memory since lbs_cfg_free() frees the containing structure immediately after lbs_free_adapter() returns. Both timer callbacks (lbs_cmd_timeout_handler and lbs_tx_lockup_handler) access priv->driver_lock, priv->cur_cmd, priv->dev, and other fields, which would all be use-after-free violations. Use timer_delete_sync() instead to ensure any running timer callback has completed before returning. This bug was introduced in commit 8f641d93c38a ("libertas: detect TX lockups and reset hardware") where del_timer() was used instead of del_timer_sync() in the cleanup path. The command_timer has had the same issue since the driver was first written.

HighCVSS 7.8 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available

Memory safety

BDU:2026-12454

Published: Mar 25, 2026
Updated: Oct 15, 2026
EPSS: 0.1% · 2th percentile
CWE: CWE-416

Report tools

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Action score

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS: 31 / 40 · 7.8 / 10
CISA KEV: 0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS: 0 / 30 · 0.1%

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Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
No public exploit code on record
A fix has been released

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

Vendor	Product	CPE
linux	linux kernel	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

linux linux kernel2.6.24 and later · before 5.10.253
linux linux kernel5.11 and later · before 5.15.203
linux linux kernel5.16 and later · before 6.1.167
linux linux kernel6.2 and later · before 6.6.130
linux linux kernel6.7 and later · before 6.12.78
linux linux kernel6.13 and later · before 6.18.17
linux linux kernel6.19 and later · before 6.19.7
linux linux kernel7.0

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Linux). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

Linux Linux
- 2.6.24affected
- 954ee164f4f4598afc172c0ec3865d0352e55a0b and later · before b15e0fa7adb4de3a03aee9e6fc4d83e5cf0a65e4affected · git
- 954ee164f4f4598afc172c0ec3865d0352e55a0b and later · before 09f3c30ab3b1371eaf9676a1b8add57bca763083affected · git
- 954ee164f4f4598afc172c0ec3865d0352e55a0b and later · before 3f9dec4a6d95d7f1f5e9e9dfdfa173c053bba8dcaffected · git
- 954ee164f4f4598afc172c0ec3865d0352e55a0b and later · before 3c5c818c78b03a1725f3dcd566865c77b48dd3a6affected · git
- 954ee164f4f4598afc172c0ec3865d0352e55a0b and later · before d0155fe68f31b339961cf2d4f92937d57e9384e6affected · git
- 954ee164f4f4598afc172c0ec3865d0352e55a0b and later · before ed7d30f90b77f73a47498686ede83f622b7e4f0daffected · git
- 954ee164f4f4598afc172c0ec3865d0352e55a0b and later · before a9f55b14486426d907459bced5825a25063bd922affected · git
- 954ee164f4f4598afc172c0ec3865d0352e55a0b and later · before 03cc8f90d0537fcd4985c3319b4fafbf2e3fb1f0affected · git
- before 2.6.24not affected · semver

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

Ecosystem	Package	Affected range	Fix
Debian:12	linux	before 6.1.170-1	6.1.170-1
Debian:13	linux	before 6.12.85-1	6.12.85-1
Debian:14	linux	before 6.19.8-1	6.19.8-1

Same product

linux: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

CVE-2026-31431crypto: algif_aead - Revert to operating out-of-placeKEV
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CVE-2022-0847A flaw was found in the way the "flags" member of the new pipe buffer structure was lacking proper initialization in copy_page_to_iter_pipe KEV
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CVE-2021-22555Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACEKEV
85Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

← EarlierCVE-2026-23394Mar 25, 2026 · af_unix: Give up GC if MSG_PEEK intervened.
18Monitor
← EarlierCVE-2026-23279Mar 25, 2026 · wifi: mac80211: fix NULL pointer dereference in mesh_rx_csa_frame()
22Monitor
Later →CVE-2026-23284Mar 25, 2026 · net: ethernet: mtk_eth_soc: Reset prog ptr to old_prog in case of error in mtk_xdp_setup()
22Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / package	Fixed version	Source
Linux Linux	03cc8f90d0537fcd4985c3319b4fafbf2e3fb1f0	Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux	09f3c30ab3b1371eaf9676a1b8add57bca763083	Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux	3c5c818c78b03a1725f3dcd566865c77b48dd3a6	Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux	3f9dec4a6d95d7f1f5e9e9dfdfa173c053bba8dc	Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux	a9f55b14486426d907459bced5825a25063bd922	Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux	b15e0fa7adb4de3a03aee9e6fc4d83e5cf0a65e4	Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux	d0155fe68f31b339961cf2d4f92937d57e9384e6	Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux	ed7d30f90b77f73a47498686ede83f622b7e4f0d	Vendor (CNA)
azl3 kernel 6.6.126.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0	6.6.130.1-1 · CBL-Mariner Releases	Microsoft (MSRC)
debian:linux	6.1.170-1 · Debian:12	Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
A low-privileged account is enough.
No user action is required.
No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality: high · data can be read
Integrity: high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability: high · the service can be disrupted

Attack vector: Local
Attack complexity: Low
Privileges required: Low
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality impact: High
Integrity impact: High
Availability impact: High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-416 · Use After Free

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-primary

Root cause

After a memory region is freed, another reference pointing to it is still used. By then, the same region may have been allocated for different data.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-416 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

1free(dev->buf);
2/* ... another thread is still running ... */
3process(dev->buf);

Fixed

1lock(&dev->lock);
2free(dev->buf);
3dev->buf = NULL;
4unlock(&dev->lock);

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Change log

Fix✗ → ✓Sep 28, 2026, 10:09 PM UTC

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

git.kernel.org/stable/c/03cc8f90d0537fcd4985c3319b4fafbf2e3fb1f0

Show all references (8 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records