HighCVE-2026-46180

    Linux Kernel: Use-After-Free (CVE-2026-46180)

    Published Last modified Sources: SUSE, Debian LTS, Ubuntu, Siemens ProductCERT, BSI, CVE.org, EUVD, Msrc Update Guide

    What is affected, what to do

    In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: brcmfmac: Fix potential use-after-free issue when stopping watchdog task Watchdog task might end between send_sig() and kthread_stop() calls, what results in the use-after-free issue. Fix this by increasing watchdog task reference count before calling send_sig() and dropping it by switching to kthread_stop_put().

    Update Linux Kernel to version 5.10.259, Linux Kernel to version 5.15.210, Linux Kernel to version 6.1.176.

    Affected
    • Linux Kernel lt 3.3..5.10.259
    • Linux Kernel lt 5.11..5.15.210
    • Linux Kernel lt 5.16..6.1.176
    • Linux Kernel lt 6.2..6.6.140
    • Linux Kernel lt 6.7..6.12.88
    • Linux Kernel lt 6.13..6.18.30
    • Linux Kernel lt 6.19..7.0.7
    Fixed in
    • Linux Kernel 5.10.259
    • Linux Kernel 5.15.210
    • Linux Kernel 6.1.176
    • Linux Kernel 6.6.140
    • Linux Kernel 6.12.88
    • Linux Kernel 6.18.30
    • Linux Kernel 7.0.7
    • Linux Kernel 7.1

    Not sure whether and how you are affected? Ask a question about this vulnerability

    Metrics

    7.8

    Priority

    XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.

    Source: NVD, CVSS v3

    7.8

    CVSS v3

    Severity High on the scale from 0 to 10.

    Source: SUSE, Debian LTS, Ubuntu, Siemens ProductCERT, BSI, CVE.org, EUVD, Msrc Update Guide

    0.1 %

    EPSS score

    Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.

    Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 3.4

    Show all metrics
    Severity
    High
    Priority (0–325)

    The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?

    Read in glossary
    57.23 Methodology
    Exploit maturity

    An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.

    Read in glossary
    no public PoC known
    XIEM Effective CVSS

    XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.

    Read in glossary
    7.8 Methodology
    CVSS v3

    CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.

    Read in glossary
    7.8
    EPSS score

    The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.

    Read in glossary
    0.1 %
    Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
    EPSS percentile

    The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.

    Read in glossary
    3.4
    Low — this CVE sits in the lower 10% of all CVEs scored today.
    KEV status

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    —
    Published

    Detection rules

    No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.

    Classification under NIS2 and CRA

    Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.

    NIS2

    NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.

    Read in glossary
    High technical severity: assess and remediate the vulnerability in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2 and document the decision.
    CRA

    The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.

    Read in glossary
    From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
    ISO/IEC 27001

    ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.

    Read in glossary
    Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.

    Description

    In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: brcmfmac: Fix potential use-after-free issue when stopping watchdog task Watchdog task might end between send_sig() and kthread_stop() calls, what results in the use-after-free issue. Fix this by increasing watchdog task reference count before calling send_sig() and dropping it by switching to kthread_stop_put().

    Source: suse_csaf, Debian LTS Advisories, Ubuntu Security Notices, siemens_advisory, BSI WID Portal, BSI CSAF, cvelistv5, NVD (NIST), ENISA EUVD, CVE.org (MITRE), Microsoft Security Update Guide

    Affected products

    The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.

    Affected products
    Affected versionsFixed in
    LinuxLinux
    • 6.7 – < 6.12.88
    • 6.2 – < 6.6.140
    • 5.11 – < 5.15.210
    • 3.3 – < 5.10.259
    • 6.19 – < 7.0.7
    • —
    • 5.16 – < 6.1.176
    • 6.13 – < 6.18.30
    • 6.12.88
    • 6.6.140
    • 5.15.210
    • 5.10.259
    • 7.0.7
    • 7.1
    • 6.1.176
    • 6.18.30
    SiemensSIMATIC S7
    • 1500 TM MFP V1.1.1 GNU/Linux subsystem
    • —

    Vendors and products

    Affected operating systems

    Affected operating systems
    Linuxdebianlinuxbookworm
    Linuxdebianlinuxbullseye
    Linuxdebianlinux-6.1bullseye
    Linuxubuntulinux-oracle-7.0noble
    Linuxlinuxlinux_kernel7.1
    Linuxlinuxlinux_kernel—

    References & sources

    Changes to this CVE

    Who changed this CVE and when: NVD (analysis, affected products, CVSS), the CVE publisher (CNA) and additional providers such as CISA (ADP).

    1. Record modifiedLinux

      Show 21 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/658d2e46c2e9a8eb9b80c5e803ce3c89885b3366
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/908b92231e1ded53e43fcfad5e0704d83e1b803c
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a21f735fb1017ef89c6f9dbf4d799513b4e7bd5a
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c623b63580880cc742255eaed3d79804c1b91143
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d16827cb1d3936f7627d0da6044483f743ebde03
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d616bb10de79e5c2bd8a24230a1128aeaf715615
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/df2e90d6a9955510f24f1dada78cfc439fd9fa88
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed4168d1a50fef5be8eca947fbbf05a28507d265
      Referenceremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/658d2e46c2e9a8eb9b80c5e803ce3c89885b3366
      —
      Referenceremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/908b92231e1ded53e43fcfad5e0704d83e1b803c
      —
      Referenceremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a21f735fb1017ef89c6f9dbf4d799513b4e7bd5a
      —
      Referenceremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c623b63580880cc742255eaed3d79804c1b91143
      —
      Referenceremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d16827cb1d3936f7627d0da6044483f743ebde03
      —
      Referenceremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d616bb10de79e5c2bd8a24230a1128aeaf715615
      —
      Referenceremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/df2e90d6a9955510f24f1dada78cfc439fd9fa88
      —
      Referenceremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed4168d1a50fef5be8eca947fbbf05a28507d265
      —
      Reference typeremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/658d2e46c2e9a8eb9b80c5e803ce3c89885b3366 Types: Patch
      —
      Reference typeremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/908b92231e1ded53e43fcfad5e0704d83e1b803c Types: Patch
      —
      Reference typeremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c623b63580880cc742255eaed3d79804c1b91143 Types: Patch
      —
      Reference typeremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d16827cb1d3936f7627d0da6044483f743ebde03 Types: Patch
      —
      Reference typeremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed4168d1a50fef5be8eca947fbbf05a28507d265 Types: Patch
      —

      Source identifier: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

    2. Record modifiedSiemens ADP

      Show 2 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Affected versions (publisher)added
      —
      New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/46xxx/CVE-2026-46180.json">CVE-2026-46180</a>
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-784472.html

      Source identifier: 0b142b55-0307-4c5a-b3c9-f314f3fb7c5e

    3. Record modifiedLinux

      Show 4 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a21f735fb1017ef89c6f9dbf4d799513b4e7bd5a
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d616bb10de79e5c2bd8a24230a1128aeaf715615
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/df2e90d6a9955510f24f1dada78cfc439fd9fa88
      Affected versions (publisher)changed
      Linux, Linux
      Linux, Linux

      Source identifier: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

    4. Initial analysis by NVDNVD

      Newly listed as affected:
      • Linux Kernel (6.13 – before 6.18.30; 6.19 – before 7.0.7; 6.7 – before 6.12.88; 3.3 – before 6.6.140; 2 individual versions)

      CVSS V3.1: AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

      Weakness type: CWE-416

      Show 8 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      CVSSadded
      —
      AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
      Weakness type (CWE)added
      —
      CWE-416
      Product configurationadded
      —
      OR *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.1:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.13 up to (excluding) 6.18.30 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.19 up to (excluding) 7.0.7 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.7 up to (excluding) 6.12.88 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 3.3 up to (excluding) 6.6.140
      Reference typeadded
      —
      kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/658d2e46c2e9a8eb9b80c5e803ce3c89885b3366 Types: Patch
      Reference typeadded
      —
      kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/908b92231e1ded53e43fcfad5e0704d83e1b803c Types: Patch
      Reference typeadded
      —
      kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c623b63580880cc742255eaed3d79804c1b91143 Types: Patch
      Reference typeadded
      —
      kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d16827cb1d3936f7627d0da6044483f743ebde03 Types: Patch
      Reference typeadded
      —
      kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ed4168d1a50fef5be8eca947fbbf05a28507d265 Types: Patch

      Source identifier: nvd@nist.gov

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