Linux kernel PXA DMA driver double counts hardware descriptors
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
The Linux kernel from 7.0 contains a flaw in the PXA DMA engine driver. The descriptor allocation code increments a counter that the compiler already sets on newer toolchains, so the count of hardware descriptors comes out doubled. A local user with low privileges can exploit this, with high impact to confidentiality, integrity and availability.
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: dmaengine: pxa: fix double counting of the hw descriptors pxad_alloc_desc() was converted from kzalloc(struct_size(sw_desc, hw_desc, nb_hw_desc), GFP_NOWAIT) to kzalloc_flex(), which sets the __counted_by() counter sw_desc->nb_desc itself - but only where the compiler has __builtin_counted_by_ref(), so from gcc 15.1 or clang 22.1 on. The loop below it still increments nb_desc, which makes it come out doubled there and correct elsewhere. nb_desc is what pxad_free_desc() iterates over and what set_updater_desc() indexes from, so set it explicitly and drop the increment. The error path has to lower it to the number of descriptors allocated so far, otherwise pxad_free_desc() would free entries that were never allocated.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
Update the Linux kernel to version 7.2.8 or 7.3, which fix the flaw.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 7.2.8, 7.3
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 7 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- 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-2026-98324
- 2026-10-06 Alias added: GHSA-wrvr-2vch-mjpj
- 2026-10-07 CVSS score added · CNA
- 2026-10-10 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-10 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
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Sources
- CVE-2026-98324 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98324 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-wrvr-2vch-mjpj · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98324 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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