Unlocked buffer teardown in Linux kernel IIO subsystem
Key facts
- Attack vector
- —
- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 without a fix
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
The Linux kernel IIO subsystem is affected in the listed ranges, including 5.15.137 before 5.15.224, 6.1.60 before 6.1.191, and from 6.2. The buffer teardown path in iio_device_unregister() disables and deactivates buffers without taking the mlock, so buffer state such as active_scan_mask can be invalidated while a buffer-mode claim is held.
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: buffer: serialize buffer teardown with mode claims Buffer-mode claims hold mlock to guarantee that the device remains in buffer mode until the claim is released. Normal buffer updates take info_exist_lock followed by mlock in iio_update_buffers(). However, iio_device_unregister() disables and deactivates all buffers without taking mlock. This can invalidate buffer state, including active_scan_mask, while a buffer-mode claim is held. Take mlock in iio_disable_all_buffers() so that unregister honors the mode-claim lifetime guarantee. The info_exist_lock -> mlock ordering matches iio_update_buffers().
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 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.160, 6.12.113, 6.18.56, 7.2.10 or 7.3, depending on the release branch in use. Red Hat lists Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 as affected with a plan of none_available, so no fix is currently planned for it.
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
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 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 →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 6 products
- 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-2026-98669
- 2026-10-18 Alias added: GHSA-h3hh-6rf8-4cq6
- 2026-10-19 Fix available: Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-21 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@6a728408ff522b749c2a3c7e68f44e861fa0dbfb · CNA
- 2026-10-21 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-10-23 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-23 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/Linux@261f54966ebf45ced5fe5e1fe5119c6c44e140ab, Linux/[email protected], Linux/[email protected] +1 · CNA
- 2026-10-30 2 new references · CNA
References
Other 7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/261f54966ebf45ced5fe5e1fe5119c6c44e140ab
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cebbecb26d22368440c4779f8275d790cf347177
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6a728408ff522b749c2a3c7e68f44e861fa0dbfb
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/89f3852a28fcf7bab599280cb082baa0675536db
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b466db9e68b4741af85f6c017e2bb0a2f025053f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e63188d77e10c0951bf67da6c295f768fd1abf4b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/84bb0fc46ccf6a545b8fdf57cda83770186ed8dd
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Sources
- CVE-2026-98669 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-98669 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-h3hh-6rf8-4cq6 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-98669 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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