CVE-2026-53097: linux kernel vulnerability

What is known

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: mt76: mt7996: fix use-after-free bugs in mt7996_mac_dump_work() When the mt7996 pci chip is detaching, the mt7996_crash_data is released in mt7996_coredump_unregister(). However, the work item dump_work may still be running or pending, leading to UAF bugs when the already freed crash_data is dereferenced again in mt7996_mac_dump_work(). The race condition can occur as follows: CPU 0 (removal path) | CPU 1 (workqueue) mt7996_pci_remove() | mt7996_sys_recovery_set() mt7996_unregister_device() | mt7996_reset() mt7996_coredump_unregister() | queue_work() vfree(dev->coredump.crash_data) | mt7996_mac_dump_work() | crash_data-> // UAF Fix this by ensuring dump_work is properly canceled before the crash_data is deallocated. Add cancel_work_sync() in mt7996_unregister_device() to synchronize with any pending or executing dump work.

Business impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-53097, a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.8) affecting linux kernel, may affect the confidentiality, integrity or availability of the vulnerable environment. The exact impact depends on the installed version, exposed interfaces and deployment configuration.

Recommended administrator action

Confirm whether linux kernel is present and compare installed versions with the vendor advisory and NVD record. Apply the vendor patch or documented mitigation; until remediation is complete, reduce exposure of affected interfaces, review relevant logs and monitor for indicators of exploitation. DataHouse can support version verification, managed patching, network exposure reduction, log review and backup validation for dedicated, cloud and colocated environments.

Sources

• NVD
• Reference
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