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CVE-2026-89942

7.8 · HIGH

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iio: buffer: Fix potential use-after-free in anonymous buffer release An anonymous buffer handle holds a reference to the under…

Published Sep 16, 2026EPSS 0.16%

Overview

CVE-2026-89942 is a high-severity vulnerability. It was published on September 16, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

Technical description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

iio: buffer: Fix potential use-after-free in anonymous buffer release

An anonymous buffer handle holds a reference to the underlying IIO device.

The reference is dropped in the buffer handle's release function. If the

device has been removed, either through unbind or hot-unplug, the buffer

handle might hold the last reference.

The release function takes the mutex for the buffer using a guard, which

means the unlock happens after all the code in the function, including

`iio_device_put()`. If the anonymous buffer holds the last reference this

might free both the IIO device and the buffer, which contains the mutex,

leading to use-after-free when the mutex is unlocked.

Fix this by using a scoped guard just around the buffer dmabuf list access,

making sure the mutex is unlocked before releasing the IIO device.

Version 10 of the patch that introduced this issue used this exact scheme

of first unlocking and then dropping

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-89942?

CVE-2026-89942 is a high-severity vulnerability. It was published on September 16, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-89942?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2026-89942?

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2026-89942?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2026-89942 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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