{"id":"CVE-2026-11742","summary":"Use-after-free race in kernel `k_queue_peek_head/tail` due to missing spinlock","details":"The kernel queue helper z_queue_node_peek() in kernel/queue.c dereferences a node taken from a queue's data_q list, reading the node's flag byte and, for items enqueued via k_queue_alloc_append/alloc_prepend, the data pointer of an internally allocated alloc_node struct. The implementations of z_impl_k_queue_peek_head() and z_impl_k_queue_peek_tail() performed this read-and-dereference without holding the queue's spinlock, while every other accessor of the same list — including k_queue_get(), which unlinks a node and k_free()s its backing alloc_node — operates under that lock.\n\nBecause peek was unsynchronized, a concurrent k_queue_get() on the same queue (on an SMP build, or under preemption/ISR concurrency) can free the node between the moment peek obtains the node pointer and the moment it dereferences it. The peek then reads flag bits and a data pointer out of freed, potentially re-allocated heap memory and returns a stale or dangling pointer to its caller. k_fifo and k_lifo are thin wrappers over k_queue, so this affects buffer queues used throughout the net_buf, Bluetooth, USB, and networking subsystems; the peek operations are also system calls reachable from CONFIG_USERSPACE threads.\n\nThe consequences are a use-after-free read that can leak stale heap contents (one pointer word) and, when the returned dangling pointer is subsequently consumed as a live buffer, a dereference that can crash the system or corrupt memory. Exploitation requires winning a small race window with local access (e.g. a userspace process racing k_queue_peek_* against k_queue_get on a shared queue, or two CPUs), so practical impact is bounded and of low severity.\n\nThe fix wraps both peek implementations with k_spin_lock/k_spin_unlock on the queue lock, making the read-and-dereference atomic with respect to the concurrent unlink-and-free and bringing peek into line with the rest of the queue's locking discipline.","aliases":["GHSA-8xm3-4w69-29mm"],"modified":"2026-08-12T04:15:29.502720387Z","published":"2026-08-07T21:10:23.002Z","database_specific":{"cna_assigner":"zephyr","cwe_ids":["CWE-416"],"osv_generated_from":"https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/11xxx/CVE-2026-11742.json"},"references":[{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/11xxx/CVE-2026-11742.json"},{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/security/advisories/GHSA-8xm3-4w69-29mm"},{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-11742"},{"type":"FIX","url":"https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/commit/a6b6149a50cb0f64061869f7536acbf80ccc5e0c"},{"type":"PACKAGE","url":"https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr"}],"affected":[{"ranges":[{"type":"GIT","repo":"https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr","events":[{"introduced":"f58d9caba242e52a4e0150dd1be0c99e239a9d42"},{"fixed":"a6b6149a50cb0f64061869f7536acbf80ccc5e0c"}],"database_specific":{"extracted_events":[{"introduced":"1.12.0"},{"fixed":"4.4.2"}],"source":["AFFECTED_FIELD","REFERENCES"]}}],"versions":["v4.4.0","v4.4.0-rc3","v4.4.0-rc2","v4.4.0-rc1","v4.3.0","v4.3.0-rc3","v4.3.0-rc2","v4.3.0-rc1","v4.2.0","v4.2.0-rc3","v4.2.0-rc2","v4.2.0-rc1","v4.1.0","v4.1.0-rc3","v4.1.0-rc2","v4.1.0-rc1","v4.0.0","v4.0.0-rc3","v4.0.0-rc2","v4.0.0-rc1","v3.7.0","v3.7.0-rc3","v3.7.0-rc2","v3.7.0-rc1","v3.6.0","v3.6.0-rc3","v3.6.0-rc2","v3.6.0-rc1","zephyr-v3.5.0","v3.5.0","v3.5.0-rc3","v3.5.0-rc2","v3.5.0-rc1","zephyr-v3.4.0","v3.4.0","v3.4.0-rc3","v3.4.0-rc2","v3.4.0-rc1","zephyr-v3.3.0","v3.3.0","v3.3.0-rc3","v3.3.0-rc2","v3.3.0-rc1","zephyr-v3.2.0","v3.2.0","v3.2.0-rc3","v3.2.0-rc2","v3.2.0-rc1","zephyr-v3.1.0","v3.1.0","v3.1.0-rc3","v3.1.0-rc2","v3.1.0-rc1","zephyr-v3.0.0","v3.0.0","v3.0.0-rc3","v3.0.0-rc2","v3.0.0-rc1","v2.7.99","v2.7.0-rc3","v2.7.0-rc2","v2.7.0-rc1","zephyr-v2.6.0","v2.6.0","v2.6.0-rc3","v2.6.0-rc2","v2.6.0-rc1","zephyr-v2.5.0","v2.5.0","v2.5.0-rc4","v2.5.0-rc3","v2.5.0-rc2","v2.5.0-rc1","zephyr-v2.4.0","v2.4.0","v2.4.0-rc3","v2.4.0-rc2","v2.4.0-rc1","zephyr-v2.3.0","v2.3.0","v2.3.0-rc2","v2.3.0-rc1","zephyr-v2.1.0","v2.1.0","zephyr-v2.2.0","v2.2.0","v2.2.0-rc3","v2.2.0-rc2","v2.2.0-rc1","v2.1.0-rc3","v2.1.0-rc2","v2.1.0-rc1","zephyr-v2.0.0","v2.0.0","v2.0.0-rc3","v2.0.0-rc2","v2.0.0-rc1","zephyr-v1.14.0","v1.14.0","v1.14.0-rc3","v1.14.0-rc2","v1.14.0-rc1","zephyr-v1.13.0","v1.13.0","v1.13.0-rc3","v1.13.0-rc2","v1.13.0-rc1","zephyr-v1.12.0","v1.12.0"],"database_specific":{"source":"https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2026-11742.json"}}],"schema_version":"1.9.0","severity":[{"type":"CVSS_V3","score":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L"}]}