Use-after-free in Linux kernel Airoha NPU driver watchdog work
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
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- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Fixed
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
The Linux kernel from 6.15 contains a flaw in the Airoha NPU driver, where the watchdog work item can be queued again after the driver's remove routine has already canceled it. The work then runs on the driver structure after it has been freed, so the kernel dereferences freed memory.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: airoha: npu: cancel wdt_work after releasing the WDT IRQ airoha_npu_remove() calls cancel_work_sync() on each core's wdt_work, but the watchdog IRQ that queues it is requested with devm_request_irq() and is freed only after .remove() returns. airoha_npu_wdt_handler() can therefore schedule_work() again once the cancel has returned. struct airoha_npu, which contains the work, is devm_kzalloc()'d and is freed in that same unwind, so the late work dereferences freed memory. Register the work with devm_work_autocancel() before devm_request_irq() and drop .remove(). Devres runs in reverse order, so the IRQ is freed before cancel_work_sync(), including when probe fails. A cancel left in .remove() cannot get that order. Initializing the work first also stops a pending watchdog interrupt from queuing an uninitialized work item. Probe currently calls INIT_WORK() only after devm_request_irq(). This issue was identified during our ongoing static-analysis research while reviewing kernel code.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
The Linux kernel is fixed in 6.18.55, 7.2.9 and 7.3.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.18.55, 7.2.9, 7.3
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 7 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5
Timeline
- 2026-10-18 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98496
- 2026-10-18 Alias added: GHSA-qq9m-vqcj-573m
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-21 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-21 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
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Sources
- CVE-2026-98496 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98496 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-qq9m-vqcj-573m · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98496 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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