Out-of-bounds write in Linux kernel USB audio feedback handling
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
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- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 3 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
The Linux kernel ALSA USB audio driver is affected in the listed ranges, including from 5.15.202 before 5.15.224 and from 6.19.6 before 6.20, and from 7.0. For an implicit feedback sink, the driver adopts a packet count from the sync source without checking it against the allocated URB capacity. A USB audio device with mismatched capture and playback endpoint intervals triggers an out-of-bounds write past the isochronous frame descriptor array, which KASAN reports as a slab-out-of-bounds write.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
Description from the CNA
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ALSA: usb-audio: Clamp implicit feedback packet count to URB capacity data_ep_set_params() allocates each data URB for exactly u->packets isochronous frames, so urb->iso_frame_desc[] has u->packets slots and ctx->packets is the driver's only record of that limit. For an implicit feedback sink, snd_usb_queue_pending_output_urbs() overwrites it with the sync source's packet count, which is calculated independently from the capture endpoint's parameters. When that count is larger, prepare_playback_urb() and prepare_silent_urb() can write iso_frame_desc[] past the allocation; their existing bounds limit payload bytes, not the descriptor index. The reproducer uses a high-speed UAC2 device declaring bInterval 1 for implicit feedback capture (8 packets) and bInterval 4 for playback (1 packet). On the first capture completion after the stream starts, it accesses seven descriptors spanning 112 bytes beyond the one-packet URB: BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in prepare_playback_urb (sound/usb/pcm.c:1560) Write of size 4 at addr ffff88801e696ad0 by task vhci_rx/178 prepare_playback_urb (sound/usb/pcm.c:1560) prepare_outbound_urb (sound/usb/endpoint.c:340) snd_usb_queue_pending_output_urbs (sound/usb/endpoint.c:501) snd_complete_urb (sound/usb/endpoint.c:1834) __usb_hcd_giveback_urb (drivers/usb/core/hcd.c:1657) usb_hcd_giveback_urb (drivers/usb/core/hcd.c:1741) vhci_rx_loop (drivers/usb/usbip/vhci_rx.c:107) kthread (kernel/kthread.c:436) The buggy address belongs to the object at ffff88801e696a00 which belongs to the cache kmalloc-256 of size 256 The buggy address is located 0 bytes to the right of allocated 208-byte region [ffff88801e696a00, ffff88801e696ad0) Record the allocated packet count per endpoint and clamp both the adopted count and the packet-size copy to it. Fold the Format Type II delimiter into urb_packs before the allocation loop so the recorded limit matches every URB.
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 | 5.15.202 to before 5.15.224; 6.1.165 to before 6.1.191; 6.6.128 to before 6.6.160; 6.12.75 to before 6.12.112; 6.18.16 to before 6.18.54; 6.19.6 to before 6.20 | 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.112, 6.18.54, 6.20 | Patch available | CNA |
| Linux | Linux | 7.0 and later | 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.112, 6.18.54, 7.2.8, 7.3 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.15.202 to before 5.15.224; 6.1.165 to before 6.1.191; 6.6.128 to before 6.6.160; 6.12.75 to before 6.12.112; 6.18.16 to before 6.18.54; 6.19.6 to before 6.20 Fixed in 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.112, 6.18.54, 6.20 Patch available CNA
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 7.0 and later Fixed in 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.112, 6.18.54, 7.2.8, 7.3 Patch available CNA
Remediation
Upgrade the Linux kernel to 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.112, 6.18.54, 6.20, 7.2.8 or 7.3, or to the fixed commit for your branch. Red Hat lists Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 and 10 with plan none_available and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 with plan no_fix_planned.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.112, 6.18.54, 6.20
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.112, 6.18.54, 7.2.8, 7.3
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 5 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5
Timeline
- 2026-10-06 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98265
- 2026-10-06 Alias added: GHSA-qghg-5w48-4c7c
- 2026-10-11 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-11 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-21 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@8b637ab10e40e01b452f4aff66dad335a9b89a16 · CNA
- 2026-10-21 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-10-22 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-22 CVSS score changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@6c5c986f761756a6ff7b3aea51c11994fc2464e5 +1 · CNA
- 2026-10-30 2 new references · CNA
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6c5c986f761756a6ff7b3aea51c11994fc2464e5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e44cee1bf51e606f3e70a213eb5a1abb3fa56a81
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8b637ab10e40e01b452f4aff66dad335a9b89a16
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ad279ba0dc1781229f5b52f58d38d56960400e06
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/79c55a7b5d71cf2a6bbd4bd7698e1b10b70f813a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ab77e3f453c5f2499c08d6e8e218501d25bab39e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/76a986c980bb502c7688d605ac7a67fd257a9a1b
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Sources
- CVE-2026-98265 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98265 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-qghg-5w48-4c7c · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98265 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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