Executive brief
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's audio driver for the NAU8821 codec can cause a system crash. This occurs when the driver is unloaded while a background task for headphone jack detection is still pending. An exploit would result in a kernel panic, leading to a complete system outage and loss of availability.
Technical details
A use-after-free or null pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the nau8821 ASoC codec driver. The issue is caused by a failure to cancel pending delayed work (nau8821_jdet_work) when the component driver is removed. If the driver is unloaded while jack detection work is scheduled, the kernel attempts to execute the work on a memory address that has been freed, resulting in a page fault and kernel panic. The fix introduces a component remove callback that calls cancel_delayed_work_sync to ensure all background tasks are terminated before the driver is fully unloaded.
Affected products
- Linux Linux Kernel nau8821 driver versions prior to the fix
Timeline
- 2026-01-05: patched: Initial patch committed to mainline kernel tree.
- 2026-05-27: disclosed: CVE-2026-45963 published.