---
id: CVE-2026-89740
title: 'kernel: serial: imx: serialize imx_uart_ports[] lifetime (CVE-2026-89740)'
summary: >-
  A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's `serial: imx` component. The
  `imx_uart_probe()` function publishes a device-managed allocated port in the
  `imx_uart_ports[]` array before it is fully added. If the port addition fails
  or the port is r…
severity: medium
cvss: 5.5
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'
cvssSource: vendor
cwe: CWE-825
vendor: Red Hat
product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
affected:
  - enterprise_linux 10
  - enterprise_linux 9
  - openshift_container_platform 4
published: '2026-09-11'
updated: '2026-09-15'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-15T11:02:44+00:00'
source: CSAF
sourceUrl: 'https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-89740.json'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-89740.json
  - url: 'https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-89740'
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2532424'
  - url: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-89740'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-89740'
  - url: >-
      https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-89740.mbox
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/681696ae9e4a28bdf54893c807dfe4a6c08e30a5'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/28b932202fcdbeb2ef58d89ce4363f480433c234'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7429dce56a73bc080a8c072edb167106f73a08ae'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8b0b29fdcb47907ae0296b8fe829e918e05e300f'
tags:
  - csaf
  - vex
  - red-hat
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00209
epssPercentile: 0.09954
ingestedAt: '2026-09-14T11:11:19.884Z'
---

## Overview

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's `serial: imx` component. The `imx_uart_probe()` function publishes a device-managed allocated port in the `imx_uart_ports[]` array before it is fully added. If the port addition fails or the port is removed, the entry in the array is not properly cleared, resulting in a dangling pointer. This stale entry can then be used by a sibling probe to register a shared console, potentially leading to memory corruption and system instability or a denial of service.

## Vendor advisories

- **Red Hat VEX** · Moderate · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · no fix planned: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · updated 2026-09-15 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-89740.json)

**kernel: serial: imx: serialize imx_uart_ports[] lifetime** — rated Moderate by Red Hat. Released 2026-09-11, updated 2026-09-15.

Affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

No fix planned:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

Not affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

## Remediation

Fix deferred