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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-46048

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.6.140 / 6.12.86 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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: ALSA: caiaq: fix usb_dev refcount leak on probe failure create_card() takes a reference on the USB device with usb_get_dev() and stores the matching usb_put_dev() in card_free(), which is installed as the snd_card's ->private_free destructor. However, ->private_free is only assigned near the end of init_card(), after several failure points (usb_set_interface(), EP type checks, usb_submit_urb(), the EP1_CMD_GET_DEVICE_INFO exchange, and its timeout). When any of those fail, init_card() returns an error to snd_probe(), which calls snd_card_free(card). Because ->private_free is still NULL, card_free() never runs, the usb_get_dev() reference is not dropped, and the struct usb_device leaks along with its descriptor allocations and device_private. syzbot reproduces this with a malformed UAC3 device whose only valid altsetting is 0; init_card()'s usb_set_interface(usb_dev, 0, 1) call fails with -EIO and triggers the leak. Move the ->private_free assignment into create_card(), immediately after usb_get_dev(), so that every error path reaching snd_card_free() balances the reference. card_free()'s callees (snd_usb_caiaq_input_free, free_urbs, kfree) already tolerate the partially-initialized state because the chip private area is zero-initialized by snd_card_new().

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

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

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:>= 6.6.136, < 6.6.140>= 6.12.84, < 6.12.86>= 6.18.25, < 6.18.27>= 7.0.2, < 7.0.4= 7.1

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 6.6.140 / 6.12.86 / 6.18.27 or later
Fixed in 6.6.1406.12.866.18.27
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Kernel 6.6.140, 6.12.86, 6.18.27, or 7.0.4 (depending on which branch you are using)

  1. Check the current running kernel version with: uname -r
  2. Identify which kernel branch your system uses (e.g., 6.6.x, 6.12.x, 6.18.x, or 7.0.x)
  3. For systems using 6.6.x kernels: upgrade to kernel version 6.6.140 or later
  4. For systems using 6.12.x kernels: upgrade to kernel version 6.12.86 or later
  5. For systems using 6.18.x kernels: upgrade to kernel version 6.18.27 or later
  6. For systems using 7.0.x kernels: upgrade to kernel version 7.0.4 or later
  7. Reboot the system to load the patched kernel
  8. Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version matches or exceeds the fixed versions above
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebuilding third-party kernel modules; ensure compatible drivers are available before rebooting

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 $1,600. 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-2026-46048 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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