Vulnerabilities
- CVSS
- 7.0 High
- Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- EPSS
- 0.17%
- Risk score
- 4.4
- Published
- 2026-08-22
- Status
- Published
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net: usb: ipheth: fix carrier_work UAF on disconnect
ipheth_sndbulk_callback() re-arms the carrier-check work on any
non-zero URB status:
else
schedule_delayed_work(&dev->carrier_work, 0);
Nothing ties that to the interface being up, so the work can be armed
again after ipheth_close() has already drained it, and stay armed
until the netdev whose private area embeds it is freed.
On unplug with a TX URB in flight, ipheth_disconnect() drains the work
through unregister_netdev() -> ipheth_close() ->
cancel_delayed_work_sync() and only then calls ipheth_kill_urbs().
usb_kill_urb() completes the in-flight TX URB with -ENOENT, so
ipheth_sndbulk_callback() runs after the drain and re-arms
carrier_work.
The same completion also re-arms the work if the interface is only
brought down while a TX URB is in flight, and
ipheth_carrier_check_work() then keeps re-queueing itself once a
second. unregister_netdev() does not call ipheth_close() for an
already-down interface, so nothing drains it on the later unplug
either.
In both cases free_netdev() frees the netdev while carrier_work is
still pending, and ipheth_carrier_check_work() dereferences freed
memory.
Tie the work to the interface state instead of chasing the completion:
disable it in ipheth_close() and enable it in ipheth_open(), so a
schedule_delayed_work() from the URB completion is a no-op whenever
the interface is not up. disable_delayed_work_sync() also waits for a
running instance, so it fully replaces the cancel_delayed_work_sync()
it takes the place of. The work starts out disabled in ipheth_probe()
so the enable/disable counts balance from the first open.
Reproduced under KASAN on linux-next (next-20260731) with dummy_hcd and
raw-gadget standing in for the device, driving the second path above (the
interface is already down, so unregister_netdev() does not call
ipheth_close()): 15 of 15 unpatched boots report a slab-use-after-free in
__run_timers(), freed by ipheth_disconnect() and re-armed from
ipheth_sndbulk_callback() via queue_delayed_work_on(). The
same trigger on a kernel differing only by this patch reports 0 of 15,
and the carrier check still functions across open/close cycles.
The reproducer needs an attached USB device that stops draining bulk OUT,
plus a link down and unplug, driven as root. It is not a privilege
boundary crossing and no exploit primitive was developed.
Found by 0sec (https://0sec.ai).
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's `ipheth` USB network driver. This vulnerability allows a local attacker with root privileges, using a specially crafted USB device, to trigger a Use-After-Free (UAF) condition. This occurs when the `carrier_work` mechanism attempts to access memory that has already been freed after the network interface has been closed or disconnected. Successful exploitation can lead to a system crash, resulting in a denial of service.
Coverage 1
threat-intel
Multiple vulnerabilities have been discovered in the Linux kernel of Debian. These vulnerabilities allow for privilege escalation, data compromise, and denial of service. The affected Debian versions are prior to 6.12.10…
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