{
  "affected": [
    {
      "ranges": [
        {
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "REFERENCES"
          },
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "1e68351a2572f9ae480be71da4aca9aa90db3fb2"
            }
          ],
          "repo": "https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr",
          "type": "GIT"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "GHSA-x96g-542c-gccq"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "cna_assigner": "zephyr",
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-416"
    ],
    "osv_generated_from": "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/12xxx/CVE-2026-12366.json",
    "unresolved_ranges": [
      {
        "extracted_events": [
          {
            "introduced": "1.12.0"
          },
          {
            "fixed": "4.5.0"
          }
        ],
        "source": "AFFECTED_FIELD"
      }
    ]
  },
  "details": "Zephyr's dynamic kernel-object disposal path unref_check() in kernel/userspace/userspace.c frees an object's storage (k_free(dyn-\u003edata)) 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.\n\nWhen 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.\n\nThe 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.",
  "id": "CVE-2026-12366",
  "modified": "2026-08-28T11:30:46.984766256Z",
  "published": "2026-08-14T17:52:07.021Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/12xxx/CVE-2026-12366.json"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/security/advisories/GHSA-x96g-542c-gccq"
    },
    {
      "type": "ADVISORY",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-12366"
    },
    {
      "type": "FIX",
      "url": "https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/commit/1e68351a2572f9ae480be71da4aca9aa90db3fb2"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.9.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H",
      "type": "CVSS_V3"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "Use-after-free freeing an armed dynamically-allocated k_timer in Zephyr userspace object disposal"
}