In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net: ibm: emac: Fix use-after-free during device removal
The driver was using devm_register_netdev() which causes unregister_netdev()
to be deferred until the devres cleanup phase, which runs after emac_remove()
returns. This creates a use-after-free window where:
1. emac_remove() is called, which tears down hardware (cancels work, detaches
modules, unregisters from MAL)
2. emac_remove() returns
3. devres cleanup runs and finally calls unregister_netdev()
During step 3, the network stack might still process packets, triggering
emac_irq(), emac_poll(), or other handlers that access now-freed hardware
resources (dev->emacp, dev->mal, etc.).
Fix this by replacing devm_register_netdev() with manual register_netdev()
and calling unregister_netdev() at the beginning of emac_remove(), before
any hardware teardown. This ensures the network device is fully stopped and
unregistered before hardware resources are released.
The change is safe because:
- dev->ndev is assigned very early in probe (before any error paths that
could bypass emac_remove)
- platform_set_drvdata() is only called after successful registration, so
emac_remove() only runs for fully registered devices
- unregister_netdev() is idempotent and safe to call on any registered device
net: ibm: emac: Fix use-after-free during device removal
The driver was using devm_register_netdev() which causes unregister_netdev()
to be deferred until the devres cleanup phase, which runs after emac_remove()
returns. This creates a use-after-free window where:
1. emac_remove() is called, which tears down hardware (cancels work, detaches
modules, unregisters from MAL)
2. emac_remove() returns
3. devres cleanup runs and finally calls unregister_netdev()
During step 3, the network stack might still process packets, triggering
emac_irq(), emac_poll(), or other handlers that access now-freed hardware
resources (dev->emacp, dev->mal, etc.).
Fix this by replacing devm_register_netdev() with manual register_netdev()
and calling unregister_netdev() at the beginning of emac_remove(), before
any hardware teardown. This ensures the network device is fully stopped and
unregistered before hardware resources are released.
The change is safe because:
- dev->ndev is assigned very early in probe (before any error paths that
could bypass emac_remove)
- platform_set_drvdata() is only called after successful registration, so
emac_remove() only runs for fully registered devices
- unregister_netdev() is idempotent and safe to call on any registered device
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | unaffected |
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| Linux | Linux | affected |
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Fixes
Solution
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Workaround
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References
History
Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:15:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Weaknesses | CWE-416 |
Thu, 25 Jun 2026 09:15:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ibm: emac: Fix use-after-free during device removal The driver was using devm_register_netdev() which causes unregister_netdev() to be deferred until the devres cleanup phase, which runs after emac_remove() returns. This creates a use-after-free window where: 1. emac_remove() is called, which tears down hardware (cancels work, detaches modules, unregisters from MAL) 2. emac_remove() returns 3. devres cleanup runs and finally calls unregister_netdev() During step 3, the network stack might still process packets, triggering emac_irq(), emac_poll(), or other handlers that access now-freed hardware resources (dev->emacp, dev->mal, etc.). Fix this by replacing devm_register_netdev() with manual register_netdev() and calling unregister_netdev() at the beginning of emac_remove(), before any hardware teardown. This ensures the network device is fully stopped and unregistered before hardware resources are released. The change is safe because: - dev->ndev is assigned very early in probe (before any error paths that could bypass emac_remove) - platform_set_drvdata() is only called after successful registration, so emac_remove() only runs for fully registered devices - unregister_netdev() is idempotent and safe to call on any registered device | |
| Title | net: ibm: emac: Fix use-after-free during device removal | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
Projects
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MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-06-25T08:39:31.852Z
Reserved: 2026-06-09T07:44:35.393Z
Link: CVE-2026-53234
Vulnrichment
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NVD
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Redhat
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OpenCVE Enrichment
Updated: 2026-06-25T12:00:13Z
Weaknesses