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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-43236

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.10.252 / 5.15.202 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/atmel-hlcdc: fix use-after-free of drm_crtc_commit after release The atmel_hlcdc_plane_atomic_duplicate_state() callback was copying the atmel_hlcdc_plane state structure without properly duplicating the drm_plane_state. In particular, state->commit remained set to the old state commit, which can lead to a use-after-free in the next drm_atomic_commit() call. Fix this by calling __drm_atomic_helper_duplicate_plane_state(), which correctly clones the base drm_plane_state (including the ->commit pointer). It has been seen when closing and re-opening the device node while another DRM client (e.g. fbdev) is still attached: ============================================================================= BUG kmalloc-64 (Not tainted): Poison overwritten ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0xc611b344-0xc611b344 @offset=836. First byte 0x6a instead of 0x6b FIX kmalloc-64: Restoring Poison 0xc611b344-0xc611b344=0x6b Allocated in drm_atomic_helper_setup_commit+0x1e8/0x7bc age=178 cpu=0 pid=29 drm_atomic_helper_setup_commit+0x1e8/0x7bc drm_atomic_helper_commit+0x3c/0x15c drm_atomic_commit+0xc0/0xf4 drm_framebuffer_remove+0x4cc/0x5a8 drm_mode_rmfb_work_fn+0x6c/0x80 process_one_work+0x12c/0x2cc worker_thread+0x2a8/0x400 kthread+0xc0/0xdc ret_from_fork+0x14/0x28 Freed in drm_atomic_helper_commit_hw_done+0x100/0x150 age=8 cpu=0 pid=169 drm_atomic_helper_commit_hw_done+0x100/0x150 drm_atomic_helper_commit_tail+0x64/0x8c commit_tail+0x168/0x18c drm_atomic_helper_commit+0x138/0x15c drm_atomic_commit+0xc0/0xf4 drm_atomic_helper_set_config+0x84/0xb8 drm_mode_setcrtc+0x32c/0x810 drm_ioctl+0x20c/0x488 sys_ioctl+0x14c/0xc20 ret_fast_syscall+0x0/0x54 Slab 0xef8bc360 objects=21 used=16 fp=0xc611b7c0 flags=0x200(workingset|zone=0) Object 0xc611b340 @offset=832 fp=0xc611b7c0

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-416

Memory is used after it has been freed, so its contents — now potentially attacker-controlled — drive the program's behaviour. With careful heap grooming this becomes code execution. The fix requires disciplined ownership of memory and often a targeted rework of the object lifecycle.

General guidance for the use after 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:>= 4.1, < 5.10.252>= 5.11, < 5.15.202>= 5.16, < 6.1.165>= 6.2, < 6.6.128>= 6.7, < 6.12.75>= 6.13, < 6.18.16>= 6.19, < 6.19.6

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 5.10.252 / 5.15.202 / 6.1.165 or later
Fixed in 5.10.2525.15.2026.1.165
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Kernel version 5.10.252+ (for 5.10.x), 5.15.202+ (for 5.15.x), 6.1.165+ (for 6.1.x), or 6.6.128+ (for 6.6.x) depending on your branch

  1. 1. Identify the current running kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. 2. Check which version branch your kernel comes from (e.g., 5.10.x, 5.15.x, 6.1.x, 6.6.x)
  3. 3. Upgrade the Linux kernel to a version that includes the fix commit 549c6db503dbb85dbff4840830971853feac6625
  4. 4. For kernels in the 5.10.x branch, upgrade to version 5.10.252 or later
  5. 5. For kernels in the 5.15.x branch, upgrade to version 5.15.202 or later
  6. 6. For kernels in the 6.1.x branch, upgrade to version 6.1.165 or later
  7. 7. For kernels in the 6.6.x branch, upgrade to version 6.6.128 or later
  8. 8. After kernel upgrade, reboot the system to load the fixed kernel
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require matching kernel modules and could have compatibility implications with userspace tools; ensure backup and test in non-production environment first

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 $3,200. 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-2026-43236 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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