CVE-2026-45989 | of: unittest: fix use-after-free in testdrv_probe()

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: of: unittest: fix use-after-free in testdrv_probe() The function testdrv_probe() retrieves the device_node from the PCI device, applies an overlay, and then immediately calls of_node_put(dn). This releases the reference held by the PCI core, potentially freeing the node if the reference count drops to zero. Later, the same freed pointer 'dn' is passed to of_platform_default_populate(), leading to a use-after-free. The reference to pdev->dev.of_node is owned by the device model and should not be released by the driver. Remove the erroneous of_node_put() to prevent premature freeing.

Published: 2026-05-27 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2026-45989 is rated Low Risk (34.8/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.20%). Mandatory action: Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-45989

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.02% 0.20% +0.18%
2 2026-05-28 0.02%

Full EPSS history (2 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-45989

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
1.8 5.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-45989

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2026-45989

GHSA-26rf-29mw-gf9h · Severity: high — In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: of: unittest: fix use-after...

OS Trackers for CVE-2026-45989

vendor priority summary link
debian unimportant CVE-2026-45989 unimportant priority: Debian including 1 source packages (linux), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2026-45989
redhat https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-45989
suse https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-45989/
ubuntu medium CVE-2026-45989 medium priority: Ubuntu including 158 source packages (linux, linux-allwinner-5.19, …), 1422 status rows across 9 suites (bionic, focal, jammy, noble, questing, resolute, trusty, upstream, xenial): DNE 1024, ignored 169, released 84, not-affected 79, needed 60, pending 6. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-45989

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-45989

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
linux linux_kernel >= 6.6, < 6.6.140 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 6.7, < 6.12.86 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 6.13, < 6.18.27 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel >= 6.19, < 7.0.4 cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2026-45989

cvelogic Threat Intelligence