In the Linux kernel, the pulsedlight IIO proximity driver can leave an IIO device registered after a failure in pm_runtime_set_active() during probe. The error path cleans the buffer but does not undo the successful iio_device_register(), causing the IIO core to reference freed memory. As a result, the device’s sysfs and character‑device nodes remain present and point to invalid memory, creating a use‑after‑free condition that may trigger a kernel crash when the orphaned device is accessed.

Any Linux kernel that contains the pulsedlight IIO driver before the commit that added the error_unreg_dev cleanup path is potentially affected. Distribution‑specific impact is not listed in the data; users should inspect kernel release notes or verify whether the referenced commits are present in their kernel source.

The CVSS score is not disclosed and EPSS is unavailable, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. Consequently, no publicly reported exploitation activity is known. The flaw represents a classic kernel use‑after‑free, which can result in a kernel panic; further exploitation beyond a crash is not supported by the provided information.