ALSA: pcm: Serialize PCM mmap with buffer reallocation to fix page UAF
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-416 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ALSA: pcm: Serialize PCM mmap with buffer reallocation to fix page UAF snd_pcm_hw_params() and snd_pcm_hw_free() guard buffer reallocation with an mmap_count check performed under the PCM stream lock, but the lock is released long before the buffer is actually freed: snd_pcm_sync_stop(), constraint refinement and do_free_pages() all happen in between. snd_pcm_mmap_data(), on the other hand, takes no lock at all: it validates against the old buffer's state and dma_bytes, remaps its pages into the VMA, and only then increments mmap_count. A concurrent mmap() can therefore slip in between the check and the free. remap_pfn_range() installs writable PTEs for the old buffer's pages without taking page references, and the subsequent do_free_pages() returns those pages to the page allocator while the VMA still maps them. This leaves a stale, writable mapping of freed pages: a page-level use-after-free that can be leveraged for local privilege escalation. Make snd_pcm_mmap_data() participate in the buffer-access scheme introduced for hw_params/hw_free: acquire runtime->buffer_accessing before validating and remapping, and release it afterwards. Buffer reallocation already fails with -EBUSY while accessors are active, and the mmap side now fails with -EBUSY while a reallocation is in progress, so the validate/remap sequence and the check/free sequence can no longer interleave. A reproducer that turns this race into a stale writable mapping of the freed DMA buffer pages is available on request.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 5.15.32 to before 5.15.222; 4.14.279 to before 4.15; 4.19.243 to before 4.20; 5.4.193 to before 5.5; 5.10.109 to before 5.11; 5.16.18 to before 5.17; 5.17.1 to before 5.18 | 5.15.222, 4.15, 4.20, 5.5, 5.11, 5.17, 5.18 | Patch available | CNA |
| Linux | Linux | 5.18 and later | 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.111, 6.18.53, 7.2.7, 7.3 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.15.32 to before 5.15.222; 4.14.279 to before 4.15; 4.19.243 to before 4.20; 5.4.193 to before 5.5; 5.10.109 to before 5.11; 5.16.18 to before 5.17; 5.17.1 to before 5.18 Fixed in 5.15.222, 4.15, 4.20, 5.5, 5.11, 5.17, 5.18 Patch available CNA
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.18 and later Fixed in 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.111, 6.18.53, 7.2.7, 7.3 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 2
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.14.279 to before 4.15; 4.19.243 to before 4.20; 5.4.193 to before 5.5; 5.10.109 to before 5.11; 5.15.32 to before 5.15.222; 5.16.18 – 5.17.1; 6.7 to before 6.12.111; 6.13 to before 6.18.53; 6.19 to before 7.2.7 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.3:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.3 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.14.279 to before 4.15; 4.19.243 to before 4.20; 5.4.193 to before 5.5; 5.10.109 to before 5.11; 5.15.32 to before 5.15.222; 5.16.18 – 5.17.1; 6.7 to before 6.12.111; 6.13 to before 6.18.53; 6.19 to before 7.2.7 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:7.3:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.3 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.15.222, 4.15, 4.20, 5.5, 5.11, 5.17, 5.18
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.15.222, 6.1.189, 6.6.158, 6.12.111, 6.18.53, 7.2.7, 7.3
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98116
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-pwf2-cf6j-p6wx
- 2026-10-03 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/[email protected], Linux/[email protected] +3 · CNA
- 2026-10-03 3 new references · CNA
- 2026-10-05 CVSS score changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-28 Weakness changed · NVD
References
Patch 7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e6cdd2a0470d64073349a970dc1691433804b271
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9857a75714bb5df4781e4d8b1a1753b1e17bf07a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cbadf2575d25e7dcc0d4da2717817ae569fbc99b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cbc7ec97601d09b74e05e44470fa6b0bcdabf3f5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fd137bf8149bc6460f9b7b1fc292025da04cb9ee
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8c1882dfee8f404d118020664b73eb4592172226
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9b110a9dcecc59516c77cb3c0caf1f492f75df2d
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
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- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
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- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2026-98116 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98116 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-pwf2-cf6j-p6wx · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98116 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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