CVE-2026-64376
firmware_loader: fix device reference leak in firmware_upload_register()
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: firmware_loader: fix device reference leak in firmware_upload_register() firmware_upload_register() -> fw_create_instance() -> device_initialize() After fw_create_instance() succeeds, the lifetime of the embedded struct device is expected to be managed through the device core reference counting, since fw_create_instance() has already called device_initialize(). In firmware_upload_register(), if alloc_lookup_fw_priv() fails after fw_create_instance() succeeds, the code reaches free_fw_sysfs and frees fw_sysfs directly instead of releasing the device reference with put_device(). This may leave the reference count of the embedded struct device unbalanced, resulting in a refcount leak. The issue was identified by a static analysis tool I developed and confirmed by manual review. Fix this by using put_device(fw_dev) in the failure path and letting fw_dev_release() handle the final cleanup, instead of freeing the instance directly from the error path.
INFO
Published Date :
July 25, 2026, 10:17 a.m.
Last Modified :
July 25, 2026, 10:17 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-64376
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
No affected product recoded yet
Solution
- Use put_device in the failure path.
- Let fw_dev_release handle cleanup.
- Release device reference instead of freeing instance.
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-2026-64376.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-64376 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-2026-64376
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-2026-64376 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-64376 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.
-
New CVE Received by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Jul. 25, 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': '97730bbb242cde22b7140acd202ffd88823886c9', 'lessThan': '517676ec7dfca064e08f94007a4abd21969de0a0', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '97730bbb242cde22b7140acd202ffd88823886c9', 'lessThan': '46d403da376a8b7c1187193294953816e1a8d7fe', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '97730bbb242cde22b7140acd202ffd88823886c9', 'lessThan': '2619b47a0c8114eef980a56ade7e3ef4b58eb384', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '97730bbb242cde22b7140acd202ffd88823886c9', 'lessThan': '92f41769e5fd16bcd9ba97500d0517332e0a5b45', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '97730bbb242cde22b7140acd202ffd88823886c9', 'lessThan': '15432f19562fdb9199cce6d9fc24db12c71ed574', 'versionType': 'git'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '97730bbb242cde22b7140acd202ffd88823886c9', 'lessThan': '896df22ee57648b0c505bd76ddbc6b2341834696', 'versionType': 'git'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/base/firmware_loader/sysfs_upload.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'repo': 'https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git', 'vendor': 'Linux', 'product': 'Linux', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '5.19'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '0', 'lessThan': '5.19', 'versionType': 'semver'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.1.178', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.6.145', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.6.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.12.96', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.12.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '6.18.39', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '6.18.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.1.4', 'versionType': 'semver', 'lessThanOrEqual': '7.1.*'}, {'status': 'unaffected', 'version': '7.2-rc1', 'versionType': 'original_commit_for_fix', 'lessThanOrEqual': '*'}], 'programFiles': ['drivers/base/firmware_loader/sysfs_upload.c'], 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] Added Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: firmware_loader: fix device reference leak in firmware_upload_register() firmware_upload_register() -> fw_create_instance() -> device_initialize() After fw_create_instance() succeeds, the lifetime of the embedded struct device is expected to be managed through the device core reference counting, since fw_create_instance() has already called device_initialize(). In firmware_upload_register(), if alloc_lookup_fw_priv() fails after fw_create_instance() succeeds, the code reaches free_fw_sysfs and frees fw_sysfs directly instead of releasing the device reference with put_device(). This may leave the reference count of the embedded struct device unbalanced, resulting in a refcount leak. The issue was identified by a static analysis tool I developed and confirmed by manual review. Fix this by using put_device(fw_dev) in the failure path and letting fw_dev_release() handle the final cleanup, instead of freeing the instance directly from the error path. Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/15432f19562fdb9199cce6d9fc24db12c71ed574 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2619b47a0c8114eef980a56ade7e3ef4b58eb384 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/46d403da376a8b7c1187193294953816e1a8d7fe Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/517676ec7dfca064e08f94007a4abd21969de0a0 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/896df22ee57648b0c505bd76ddbc6b2341834696 Added Reference https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/92f41769e5fd16bcd9ba97500d0517332e0a5b45