CVE-2026-46283

tpm: Use kfree_sensitive() to free auth session in tpm_dev_release()

published June 8, 2026

CVSS
—
EPSS
0%
Percentile
5.0
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

tpm: Use kfree_sensitive() to free auth session in tpm_dev_release()

tpm_dev_release() uses plain kfree() to free chip->auth, which contains

sensitive cryptographic material including HMAC session keys, nonces,

and passphrase data (struct tpm2_auth).

Every other code path that frees this structure uses kfree_sensitive()

to zero the memory before releasing it: both tpm2_end_auth_session()

and tpm_buf_check_hmac_response() do so. The tpm_dev_release() path

is the only one that does not, leaving key material in freed slab

memory until it is eventually overwritten.

Use kfree_sensitive() for consistency with the rest of the driver and

to ensure session keys are scrubbed during device teardown.

The record
Technical detail
CVSS
Not scored
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.00162 · 5.0th percentile
Published
2026-06-08T15:41Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 08 JUN 15:41Z
    tpm: Use kfree_sensitive() to free auth session in tpm_dev_release()
    cvelistv5