Linux kernel PulsedLight driver keeps IIO device registered on error
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
- Fixed
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
The PulsedLight proximity driver in the Linux kernel keeps its IIO device registered when power management setup fails during probe. The devm-managed device is freed while the IIO core still holds it, so sysfs and chardev nodes stay live and point at freed memory. Affected Linux kernel versions start at 4.5.
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: iio: proximity: pulsedlight: fix iio_device left registered on PM setup failure pm_runtime_set_active() failing in probe() jumps to error_unreg_buffer, which only calls iio_triggered_buffer_cleanup() -- it does not undo the iio_device_register() that already succeeded a few lines above. probe() then returns the error, the devm-managed indio_dev is freed, but the iio core still has it registered: the sysfs/chardev nodes stay live and point at freed memory. Add an error_unreg_dev label that unregisters the iio device before falling through to the existing buffer cleanup, mirroring the teardown order already used in lidar_remove().
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
Remediation
Upgrade the Linux kernel to a fixed version: 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10 or 7.3.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-06
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.273, 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10, 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
- 2026-10-18 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-98657
- 2026-10-18 Alias added: GHSA-26f7-hh7p-wmqm
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-21 Fix available: Linux/Linux@2c8211eef98929c5188f8c2224e83b9a63b41bd1, Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-21 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-10-22 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-22 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/Linux@4a564e39cb99234e8c5b0a39aa30edcc8cf4cf1b, Linux/[email protected], Linux/[email protected] +3 · CNA
- 2026-10-30 3 new references · CNA
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Other 8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/93ecee9ff3af4c2b482fdd4ec98c3308e8dd23a6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/58e68e5272a319fff4a704df1ac41e9e3c69587c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4a564e39cb99234e8c5b0a39aa30edcc8cf4cf1b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2c8211eef98929c5188f8c2224e83b9a63b41bd1
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/06fa13c53442257b94ea1519555ceddaaea57e0d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/20ebd7f4e35c0a737f011bc83aeb0cdd37507648
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e462b47b9637b8c0285f4a38b5af9a322847d164
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4daa9ca557b4b98ae1ad38a6d1deaa3e31eb8edf
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Sources
- CVE-2026-98657 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98657 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-26f7-hh7p-wmqm · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98657 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences