CVE-2026-43328: cpufreq: governor: fix double free in cpufreq_dbs_governor_init() error path

Severity: high (CVSS 7.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.1% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-05-08 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-415

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cpufreq: governor: fix double free in cpufreq_dbs_governor_init() error path When kobject_init_and_add() fails, cpufreq_dbs_governor_init() calls kobject_put(&dbs_data->attr_set.kobj). The kobject release callback cpufreq_dbs_data_release() calls gov->exit(dbs_data) and kfree(dbs_data), but the current error path then calls gov->exit(dbs_data) and kfree(dbs_data) again, causing a double free. Keep the direct kfree(dbs_data) for the gov->init() failure path, but after kobject_init_and_add() has been called, let kobject_put() handle the cleanup through cpufreq_dbs_data_release().

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 5.2 before 5.10.253; from 5.11 before 6.1.168; from 6.2 before 6.6.134; from 6.7 before 6.12.81; from 6.13 before 6.18.22; from 6.19 before 6.19.12 — fixed in 5.10.253, 6.1.168, 6.12.81, 6.18.22, 6.19.12, 6.6.134

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 5.10.253, 6.1.168, 6.12.81, 6.18.22. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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