In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: spi: fix use-after-free of the add_lock mutex Commit 6098475d4cb4 ("spi: Fix deadlock when adding SPI controllers on SPI buses") introduced a per-controller mutex. But mutex_unlock() of said lock is called after the controller is already freed: spi_unregister_controller(ctlr) -> put_device(&ctlr->dev) -> spi_controller_release(dev) -> mutex_unlock(&ctrl->add_lock) Move the put_device() after the mutex_unlock().
The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.