5.5
MEDIUM
CVSS 3.1
CVE-2026-46021
thermal: core: Fix thermal zone governor cleanup issues
Overview
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: thermal: core: Fix thermal zone governor cleanup issues If thermal_zone_device_register_with_trips() fails after adding a thermal governor to the thermal zone being registered, the governor is not removed from it as appropriate which may lead to a memory leak. In turn, thermal_zone_device_unregister() calls thermal_set_governor() without acquiring the thermal zone lock beforehand which may race with a governor update via sysfs and may lead to a use-after-free in that case. Address these issues by adding two thermal_set_governor() calls, one to thermal_release() to remove the governor from the given thermal zone, and one to the thermal zone registration error path to cover failures preceding the thermal zone device registration.
Details
INFO
Published Date :
May 27, 2026, 2:17 p.m.
Last Modified :
June 19, 2026, 1:16 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Scoring
CVSS Scores
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for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems.
We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | [email protected] |
Solution
Fix memory leak and use-after-free by properly cleaning up thermal governors.
- Update the Linux kernel to resolve governor cleanup issues.
- Ensure thermal governors are removed correctly on failure.
- Acquire thermal zone lock before updating governors.
References
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-46021.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-46021 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-46021
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-46021 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-46021 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Jun. 19, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8e563d8db50f303171aceb79eec0807e7ba06951 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a172fa18bc370b776ac1510abb0dcb50a7a35fac Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d4eb861adde5ce22e459fbd29366f47bb2167977 Changed Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': '37a430a2d4e66ec8238da6c7f7e48809bf265e13', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': 'f412e541d25a3dfaf3d53e012ade6ff03cae8a45', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': '75f8f3c3e09122270986de9d7aa347d701676761', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': '64d4ebf91d082034bbc5ae3ba2d7fd800bc02d06', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': '41ff66baf81c6541f4f985dd7eac4494d03d9440', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/thermal/thermal_core.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '4.2'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '4.2', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.140', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.86', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.27', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.0.4', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.0.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/thermal/thermal_core.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': 'a172fa18bc370b776ac1510abb0dcb50a7a35fac', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': '8e563d8db50f303171aceb79eec0807e7ba06951', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': 'd4eb861adde5ce22e459fbd29366f47bb2167977', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': '37a430a2d4e66ec8238da6c7f7e48809bf265e13', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': 'f412e541d25a3dfaf3d53e012ade6ff03cae8a45', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': '75f8f3c3e09122270986de9d7aa347d701676761', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': '64d4ebf91d082034bbc5ae3ba2d7fd800bc02d06', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': '41ff66baf81c6541f4f985dd7eac4494d03d9440', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/thermal/thermal_core.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '4.2'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '4.2', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '5.10.259', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '5.10.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '5.15.210', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '5.15.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.1.176', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.140', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.86', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.27', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.0.4', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.0.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/thermal/thermal_core.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] -
CVE Modified by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Jun. 17, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': '37a430a2d4e66ec8238da6c7f7e48809bf265e13', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': 'f412e541d25a3dfaf3d53e012ade6ff03cae8a45', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': '75f8f3c3e09122270986de9d7aa347d701676761', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': '64d4ebf91d082034bbc5ae3ba2d7fd800bc02d06', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': 'e33df1d2f3a0141cd79e770f31999ba0dd7ebfa8', 'lessThan': '41ff66baf81c6541f4f985dd7eac4494d03d9440', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/thermal/thermal_core.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '4.2'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '4.2', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.140', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.86', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.27', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.0.4', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.0.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/thermal/thermal_core.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] -
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Jun. 16, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Added CWE CWE-401 Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.7 up to (excluding) 6.12.86 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 4.2 up to (excluding) 6.6.140 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.13 up to (excluding) 6.18.27 *cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 6.19 up to (excluding) 7.0.4 Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/37a430a2d4e66ec8238da6c7f7e48809bf265e13 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/41ff66baf81c6541f4f985dd7eac4494d03d9440 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/64d4ebf91d082034bbc5ae3ba2d7fd800bc02d06 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/75f8f3c3e09122270986de9d7aa347d701676761 Types: Patch Added Reference Type kernel.org: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f412e541d25a3dfaf3d53e012ade6ff03cae8a45 Types: Patch -
New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
May. 27, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: thermal: core: Fix thermal zone governor cleanup issues If thermal_zone_device_register_with_trips() fails after adding a thermal governor to the thermal zone being registered, the governor is not removed from it as appropriate which may lead to a memory leak. In turn, thermal_zone_device_unregister() calls thermal_set_governor() without acquiring the thermal zone lock beforehand which may race with a governor update via sysfs and may lead to a use-after-free in that case. Address these issues by adding two thermal_set_governor() calls, one to thermal_release() to remove the governor from the given thermal zone, and one to the thermal zone registration error path to cover failures preceding the thermal zone device registration. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/37a430a2d4e66ec8238da6c7f7e48809bf265e13 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/41ff66baf81c6541f4f985dd7eac4494d03d9440 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/64d4ebf91d082034bbc5ae3ba2d7fd800bc02d06 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/75f8f3c3e09122270986de9d7aa347d701676761 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f412e541d25a3dfaf3d53e012ade6ff03cae8a45
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity
being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS
score history of the vulnerability.