CVE-2026-12366
HighCVSS 8.8Exploitation Probability (EPSS)
Low risk2th percentile - higher than 2% of all known CVEs
Summary
A use-after-free vulnerability exists in Zephyr's dynamic kernel-object disposal path. The unref_check() function frees object storage when the reference count reaches zero, but for timers (K_OBJ_TIMER) it does not cancel the active timeout, leaving a dangling node in the global timeout queue. When the timer expires, the kernel invokes the expiration handler on freed memory, causing a write to freed heap.
Risk Assessment
The vulnerability allows an unprivileged user thread to escalate privileges to kernel level (sandbox escape) by deliberately triggering the bug. An attacker can gain full system control by exploiting the deterministic write to freed memory in ISR context.
Recommendation
Update Zephyr OS immediately to a version containing the fix that adds k_timer_cleanup() called before freeing timer memory. If updating is not possible, disable CONFIG_DYNAMIC_OBJECTS or CONFIG_USERSPACE in the system configuration.
Other vulnerabilities in Zephyr
See all- CVE-2026-19673High
A vulnerability in ethernet_recv() in subsys/net/l2/ethernet/ethernet.c in the Zephyr network stack. When the ethertype is 0x8100 and VLAN is enabled on the interface, the received frame buffer is reinterpreted as an 18-byte net_eth_vlan_hdr without re-checking the length, causing an out-of-bounds read and raising hdr_len to 18. A single unauthenticated frame of 14 to 17 bytes carrying the VLAN ethertype triggers the issue.
- CVE-2026-10772Unknown
This CVE has been rejected as a duplicate. The described vulnerability involved incorrect permission checking in the Bluetooth GATT notify/indicate paths in the Zephyr stack, but was already reported as CVE-2026-2411.
- CVE-2026-10676Unknown
CVE-2026-10676 has been withdrawn as analysis determined that the reported defect is not reachable in any released version of Zephyr. In every supported release, the affected value is corrected before use.
- CVE-2026-5067Critical
Zephyr OS has a memory corruption vulnerability in the HTTP server WebSocket upgrade path. An unauthenticated remote attacker can trigger it by sending a crafted Sec-WebSocket-Key header. The bounded copy does not guarantee NUL termination, leading to out-of-bounds read/write on stack.
- CVE-2026-19935High
A vulnerability in the Zephyr Bluetooth LE stack allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to trigger a use-after-free in L2CAP CoC channel handling with dynamic PSMs. By sending a data frame followed by a disconnect request, the attacker can cause the system workqueue to process work referencing a freed channel, leading to memory corruption or workqueue corruption.
- CVE-2026-19740Medium
The LLCP implementation in Zephyr's Bluetooth LE Controller retains a receive node after accepting LL_PHY_UPDATE_IND, but invalid-PDU paths fail to release it before completing the procedure. An attacker can send a PDU sequence causing an assertion failure (device crash) or leaking nodes from the receive pool, leading to Bluetooth unavailability until reboot.
- CVE-2026-19669High
A vulnerability in Zephyr's syscall verifiers z_vrfy_fuel_gauge_get_props() and z_vrfy_fuel_gauge_set_props() allocates variable-length arrays on the kernel stack sized directly by an unvalidated caller-supplied len argument. Because no bounds check occurs before allocation and copying, a user-mode thread (with CONFIG_USERSPACE) can trigger an out-of-bounds write in supervisor mode with attacker-controlled length and, on the permitted path, attacker-controlled content.
- CVE-2026-19577High
An out-of-bounds read vulnerability was found in the IPv6 subsystem of the Zephyr stack in net_route_ipv6_packet(). The issue stems from missing validation of whether a neighbor cache entry has a link-layer address before using it. An attacker on the same link can force an unresolved neighbor state and trigger an out-of-bounds read past the address array, potentially causing a system panic or data leak.
- CVE-2026-19186High
In the IEEE 802.15.4 stack in Zephyr, the function ieee802154_decipher_data_frame() does not check if the frame is long enough before computing the payload length. Subtracting the header and authentication tag length from the frame length can underflow, leading to an out-of-bounds read and write. An attacker within radio range can send a short frame, causing memory corruption and system crash.
- CVE-2026-18415Medium
The ieee802154_send() function in Zephyr's network stack copies an outgoing packet into a fixed 125-byte transmit buffer without validating its length. When 6LoWPAN fragmentation is enabled but not required, the missing size check allows an out-of-bounds write past the buffer. The flaw is reachable through NET_AF_PACKET sockets bound to an 802.15.4 interface, including from an unprivileged application thread in CONFIG_USERSPACE builds.
Original NVD description (English source)
Zephyr's dynamic kernel-object disposal path unref_check() in kernel/userspace/userspace.c frees an object's storage (k_free(dyn->data)) once its reference count reaches zero, after running a per-object-type cleanup. The cleanup switch handled only K_OBJ_MSGQ and K_OBJ_STACK; there was no K_OBJ_TIMER case. A dynamically-allocated, initialized, and armed k_timer keeps its embedded struct _timeout dnode linked in the global timeout queue (_timeout_q), so freeing the timer storage without cancelling the timeout leaves a dangling node in that queue. When the timer next expires, the timeout machinery walks _timeout_q and invokes z_timer_expiration_handler() on the freed node, dereferencing and writing freed (and reusable) kernel heap in kernel/ISR context. This is a deterministic use-after-free that does not depend on SMP: the queued node is simply never unlinked at free time. The disposal is reachable from an unprivileged user thread under CONFIG_USERSPACE + CONFIG_DYNAMIC_OBJECTS: a thread that holds the last permission on such a timer drops it via the k_object_release() syscall (or by exiting, through k_thread_perms_all_clear()), and can arm the timer itself via the k_timer_start() syscall. The free and the expiration handler run at kernel privilege while the actor is a user thread, so the bug is a sandbox-escape memory-corruption primitive usable for privilege escalation. The fix adds k_timer_cleanup() (cancel the timeout and wait for any in-flight handler) and calls it for K_OBJ_TIMER before freeing.
Vulnerability data from NVD (NIST) · CISA KEV · EPSS

