CVE-2026-53256: linux Use After Free

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-53256 is a high (CVSS 8.0) Use After Free vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.26% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 17% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 25-06-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 19-10-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Bluetooth: RFCOMM: hold listener socket in rfcomm_connect_ind() rfcomm_get_sock_by_channel() scans rfcomm_sk_list under the list lock, but returns the selected listener after dropping that lock without taking a reference. rfcomm_connect_ind() then locks the listener, queues a child socket on it, and may notify it after unlocking it. The buggy scenario involves two paths, with each column showing the order within that path: rfcomm_connect_ind(): listener close: 1. Find parent in 1. close() enters rfcomm_get_sock_by_channel() rfcomm_sock_release(). 2. Drop rfcomm_sk_list.lock 2. rfcomm_sock_shutdown() without pinning parent. closes the listener. 3. Call lock_sock(parent) and 3. rfcomm_sock_kill() bt_accept_enqueue(parent, unlinks and puts parent. sk, true). 4. Read parent flags and may 4. parent can be freed. call sk_state_change(). If close wins the race, parent can be freed before rfcomm_connect_ind() reaches lock_sock(), bt_accept_enqueue(), or the deferred-setup callback. Take a reference on the listener before leaving rfcomm_sk_list.lock. After lock_sock() succeeds, recheck that it is still in BT_LISTEN before queueing a child, cache the deferred-setup bit while the parent is locked, and drop the reference after the last parent use. KASAN reported a slab-use-after-free in lock_sock_nested() from rfcomm_connect_ind(), with the freeing stack going through rfcomm_sock_kill() and rfcomm_sock_release().

• CWE-416Use After FreeThe product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.