In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
usbnet: Fix linkwatch use-after-free on disconnect
usbnet uses the work usbnet_deferred_kevent() to perform tasks which may
sleep. On disconnect, completion of the work was originally awaited in
->ndo_stop(). But in 2003, that was moved to ->disconnect() by historic
commit "[PATCH] USB: usbnet, prevent exotic rtnl deadlock":
https://git.kernel.org/tglx/history/c/0f138bbfd83c
The change was made because back then, the kernel's workqueue
implementation did not allow waiting for a single work. One had to wait
for completion of *all* work by calling flush_scheduled_work(), and that
could deadlock when waiting for usbnet_deferred_kevent() with rtnl_mutex
held in ->ndo_stop().
The commit solved one problem but created another: It causes a
use-after-free in USB Ethernet drivers aqc111.c, asix_devices.c,
ax88179_178a.c, ch9200.c and smsc75xx.c:
* If the drivers receive a link change interrupt immediately before
disconnect, they raise EVENT_LINK_RESET in their (non-sleepable)
->status() callback and schedule usbnet_deferred_kevent().
* usbnet_deferred_kevent() invokes the driver's ->link_reset() callback,
which calls netif_carrier_{on,off}().
* That in turn schedules the work linkwatch_event().
Because usbnet_deferred_kevent() is awaited after unregister_netdev(),
netif_carrier_{on,off}() may operate on an unregistered netdev and
linkwatch_event() may run after free_netdev(), causing a use-after-free.
In 2010, usbnet was changed to only wait for a single instance of
usbnet_deferred_kevent() instead of *all* work by commit 23f333a2bfaf
("drivers/net: don't use flush_scheduled_work()").
Unfortunately the commit neglected to move the wait back to
->ndo_stop(). Rectify that omission at long last.
What the EG score is made of (scorer v4.0: the three questions the 0–10 score mixes, published apart · methodology)
The EG score (7.8): severity, escalated by confirmed exploitation. This CVE's 7.8 is its impact severity (EG Severity), not escalated.
- EG Severity
- 7.8 HIGHCVSS-B, impact only: no KEV listing, EPSS or EG-KEV tier raises it.GitHub Security Advisory CVSS
- EG Likelihood
- 0.2% within 30 daysSource: FIRST EPSS (model v2026.06.15, score date 2026-10-27). FIRST's exploitation probability, not an EchelonGraph model.
- Confirmed exploitation
- None on record (CISA KEV, EG-KEV Tier 1)Reported apart from the likelihood: an observed fact, not a probability.
- EG Priority
- SSVC Track at medium mission impactTrack at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).CISA BOD 26-04: 14 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.Each input and its source, and whom BOD 26-04 binds: the SSVC and BOD 26-04 blocks below.
SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph)Track at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).
A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines.
Exploitation none (no CISA value, KEV listing or exploit code on record) · Automatable no (CISA's BOD 26-04 default) · Technical impact total (CISA's BOD 26-04 default). EchelonGraph holds no SSVC assessment of this CVE from CISA: none of these inputs is from Vulnrichment. EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE. Mission impact is CISA's Mission & Well-being decision point, and only you can judge it. CISA's table makes it high when Mission Prevalence is Essential — the vulnerable component "directly provides capabilities that constitute at least one MEF for at least one entity" (MEF: mission essential function) — or when Public Well-Being Impact is Irreversible: "multiple fatalities are likely", the cyber-physical system "is likely lost or destroyed", "extreme or serious externalities" are imposed on other parties, or social systems such as elections or the financial grid "are destabilized and potentially collapse". CISA's decision table
BOD 26-04 (CISA's remediation timeline, Table 1)14 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.
The score's inputs: In CISA KEV no (CISA's KEV catalog) · Automatable no (CISA's BOD 26-04 default) · Technical impact total (CISA's BOD 26-04 default). Where an input reads “CISA's BOD 26-04 default”, no one has published it for this CVE, and CISA's implementation guidance says: “If “Automatable” and “Technical Impact” information items about a CVE ID are not available and the CVE ID is not in the KEV Catalog, CISA will treat its values as “no” and “total,” respectively, until CISA or a third party provides metadata about the CVE ID. CISA will always provide the Vulnrichment data for a CVE ID listed in the KEV Catalog.” Whether your system is publicly exposed is yours to answer. BOD 26-04 binds US Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies; for anyone else it is CISA's published timeline, a reference rather than an obligation. The directive · how EchelonGraph applies it