CVE-2026-45251

CVE-2026-45251: Kernel use-after-free via file descriptor syscalls

Vendor Freebsd
Product FreeBSD
Weakness CWE-416
Published May 21, 2026
Last update May 22, 2026

CVSS base score

What the vulnerability does

01Description

A file descriptor can be closed while a thread is blocked in a poll(2) or select(2) call waiting for that descriptor. Because the blocked thread does not hold a reference to the underlying object, this closure may result in the object being freed while the thread remains blocked. In this situation, the kernel must remove the blocked thread from the per-object wait queue prior to freeing the object. In the case of some file descriptor types, the kernel failed to unlink blocked threads from the object before freeing it. When the blocked thread is subsequently woken, it accesses memory that has already been freed resulting in a use-after-free vulnerability. The use-after-free vulnerability may be triggered by an unprivileged local user and can be exploited to obtain superuser privileges.

Key dates

02Disclosure timeline

May 21, 2026 CVE published
May 22, 2026 Record updated