---
id: CVE-2026-89769
title: >-
  kernel: clocksource/drivers/nxp-pit: Fix IRQ leak on cpuhp_setup_state error
  path (CVE-2026-89769)
summary: >-
  A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's NXP PIT (Programmable Interrupt Timer)
  clocksource driver. When the CPU hotplug setup fails after an interrupt
  request (IRQ) has been successfully registered, the error handling does not
  properly free…
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 10
affected:
  - enterprise_linux 10
published: '2026-09-11'
updated: '2026-09-21'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-21T20:10:51+00:00'
source: CSAF
sourceUrl: 'https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-89769.json'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-89769.json
  - url: 'https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-89769'
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2532161'
  - url: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-89769'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-89769'
  - url: >-
      https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/security/vulns.git/plain/cve/published/2026/CVE-2026-89769.mbox
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/05520e035f8332c8e33f3011b5ca016fde61793d'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cdcd861123248e871c2ec2be968b0a1b2a5a34b0'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d53c29a89a15e56a1797f3ef249955e544782e04'
tags:
  - csaf
  - vex
  - red-hat
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00166
epssPercentile: 0.05192
scores:
  vendor: 7.5
  cna: 7.4
ingestedAt: '2026-09-14T15:23:07.472Z'
---

## Overview

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's NXP PIT (Programmable Interrupt Timer) clocksource driver. When the CPU hotplug setup fails after an interrupt request (IRQ) has been successfully registered, the error handling does not properly free the IRQ. This oversight results in a leaked IRQ line and a dangling pointer, which could lead to a use-after-free vulnerability if the IRQ is subsequently triggered. A local attacker could potentially exploit this to cause system instability or execute arbitrary code.

## Vendor advisories

- **Red Hat VEX** · Moderate · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 · no fix planned: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 · updated 2026-09-21 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-89769.json)

**kernel: clocksource/drivers/nxp-pit: Fix IRQ leak on cpuhp_setup_state error path** — rated Moderate by Red Hat. Released 2026-09-11, updated 2026-09-21.

Affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10

No fix planned:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10

Not affected:

- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

## Remediation

Fix deferred