CVE-2026-46098: net: caif: clear client service pointer on teardown

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: 2026-05-27 · updated 2026-06-25
Weakness: CWE-476

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: caif: clear client service pointer on teardown `caif_connect()` can tear down an existing client after remote shutdown by calling `caif_disconnect_client()` followed by `caif_free_client()`. `caif_free_client()` releases the service layer referenced by `adap_layer->dn`, but leaves that pointer stale. When the socket is later destroyed, `caif_sock_destructor()` calls `caif_free_client()` again and dereferences the freed service pointer. Clear the client/service links before releasing the service object so repeated teardown becomes harmless.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 3.0 before 5.10.258; from 5.11 before 5.15.209; from 5.16 before 6.1.175; from 6.2 before 6.6.140; from 6.7 before 6.12.86; from 6.13 before 6.18.27 — fixed in 5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175, 6.12.86, 6.18.27, 6.6.140

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175, 6.12.86. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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