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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-23162

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.18.9 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/xe/nvm: Fix double-free on aux add failure After a successful auxiliary_device_init(), aux_dev->dev.release (xe_nvm_release_dev()) is responsible for the kfree(nvm). When there is failure with auxiliary_device_add(), driver will call auxiliary_device_uninit(), which call put_device(). So that the .release callback will be triggered to free the memory associated with the auxiliary_device. Move the kfree(nvm) into the auxiliary_device_init() failure path and remove the err goto path to fix below error. " [ 13.232905] ================================================================== [ 13.232911] BUG: KASAN: double-free in xe_nvm_init+0x751/0xf10 [xe] [ 13.233112] Free of addr ffff888120635000 by task systemd-udevd/273 [ 13.233120] CPU: 8 UID: 0 PID: 273 Comm: systemd-udevd Not tainted 6.19.0-rc2-lgci-xe-kernel+ #225 PREEMPT(voluntary) ... [ 13.233125] Call Trace: [ 13.233126] <TASK> [ 13.233127] dump_stack_lvl+0x7f/0xc0 [ 13.233132] print_report+0xce/0x610 [ 13.233136] ? kasan_complete_mode_report_info+0x5d/0x1e0 [ 13.233139] ? xe_nvm_init+0x751/0xf10 [xe] ... " v2: drop err goto path. (Alexander) (cherry picked from commit a3187c0c2bbd947ffff97f90d077ac88f9c2a215)

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-415

The same block of memory is freed twice, corrupting the allocator's bookkeeping in ways an attacker can shape toward code execution. It usually stems from tangled ownership of a pointer. The fix is clear, single ownership of each allocation and clearing pointers once they are freed.

General guidance for the double free class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 6.17.1, < 6.18.9= 6.17= 6.19

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.18.9 or later
Fixed in 6.18.9
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.18.9 or later / latest stable

  1. Identify all systems running affected Linux kernel versions: 6.17, 6.17.1 through 6.18.8, or 6.19
  2. Schedule a maintenance window for kernel update
  3. Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 6.18.9 or later, or to the latest stable kernel release that includes the fix
  4. Reboot the systems to load the new kernel
  5. Verify the kernel version after reboot using 'uname -r' to confirm the fix is applied
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require matching kernel module recompilation; ensure compatible drivers and modules are available for the new kernel version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $1,950. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-23162 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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