CVE-2026-43421: usb: gadget: f_ncm: Fix net_device lifecycle with device_move

Severity: medium (CVSS 5.5 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 2026-10-15
Weakness: CWE-476

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: usb: gadget: f_ncm: Fix net_device lifecycle with device_move The network device outlived its parent gadget device during disconnection, resulting in dangling sysfs links and null pointer dereference problems. A prior attempt to solve this by removing SET_NETDEV_DEV entirely [1] was reverted due to power management ordering concerns and a NO-CARRIER regression. A subsequent attempt to defer net_device allocation to bind [2] broke 1:1 mapping between function instance and network device, making it impossible for configfs to report the resolved interface name. This results in a regression where the DHCP server fails on pmOS. Use device_move to reparent the net_device between the gadget device and /sys/devices/virtual/ across bind/unbind cycles. This preserves the network interface across USB reconnection, allowing the DHCP server to retain their binding. Introduce gether_attach_gadget()/gether_detach_gadget() helpers and use __free(detach_gadget) macro to undo attachment on bind failure. The bind_count ensures device_move executes only on the first bind. [1] https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/f2a4f9847617a0929d62025748384092e5f35cce.camel@crapouillou.net/ [2] https://lore.kernel.org/linux-usb/795ea759-7eaf-4f78-81f4-01ffbf2d7961@ixit.cz/

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 3.11 before 6.12.78; from 6.13 before 6.18.19; from 6.19 before 6.19.9; 7.0-rc1, 7.0-rc2, 7.0-rc3 — fixed in 6.12.78, 6.18.19, 6.19.9

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 6.12.78, 6.18.19, 6.19.9. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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