In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ep93xx: clock: Fix UAF in ep93xx_clk_register_gate() arch/arm/mach-ep93xx/clock.c:154:2: warning: Use of memory after it is freed [clang-analyzer-unix.Malloc] arch/arm/mach-ep93xx/clock.c:151:2: note: Taking true branch if (IS_ERR(clk)) ^ arch/arm/mach-ep93xx/clock.c:152:3: note: Memory is released kfree(psc); ^~~~~~~~~~ arch/arm/mach-ep93xx/clock.c:154:2: note: Use of memory after it is freed return &psc->hw; ^ ~~~~~~~~
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 Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.