CVE-2026-68214: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: media: rtl2832: fix use-after-free in rtl2832_remove() cancel_delayed_work

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: media: rtl2832: fix use-after-free in rtl2832_remove() cancel_delayed_work_sync() is calle

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: media: rtl2832: fix use-after-free in rtl2832_remove() cancel_delayed_work_sync() is called before i2c_mux_del_adapters() in rtl2832_remove(). While the cancel waits for any running instance of i2c_gate_work to finish, it does not prevent the timer from being rescheduled by a concurrent thread. During probe, the r820t_attach() call attempts I2C transfers through the mux adapter. These transfers go through i2c_mux_master_xfer(), which calls rtl2832_deselect() after the transfer completes, rescheduling i2c_gate_work via schedule_delayed_work(). If this transfer is still in flight when rtl2832_remove() runs, rtl2832_deselect() can reschedule i2c_gate_work after it has been cancelled, causing a use-after-free when kfree(dev) is called. Fix this by calling i2c_mux_del_adapters() before cancel_delayed_work_sync(). Once the mux adapter is unregistered, no new I2C transfers can go through it, so rtl2832_deselect() can no longer reschedule i2c_gate_work. The subsequent cancel_delayed_work_sync() is then guaranteed to be final.

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.22%, higher than 12% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

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Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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