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CVE-2026-72485 (GCVE-0-2026-72485)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2026-08-15 05:57 – Updated: 2026-08-17 05:44
VLAI
Title
coresight: platform: defer connection counter increment until alloc succeeds
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: coresight: platform: defer connection counter increment until alloc succeeds coresight_add_out_conn() increments nr_outconns before calling devm_krealloc_array() and again before devm_kmalloc(). If either allocation fails, the counter is already bumped while the corresponding array entry is NULL or uninitialized garbage. coresight_add_in_conn() has the same problem with nr_inconns and devm_krealloc_array(). In both cases the probe returns -ENOMEM, which causes coresight_get_platform_data() to call coresight_release_platform_data() for cleanup. That function iterates up to nr_outconns (or nr_inconns) entries and dereferences each pointer unconditionally, hitting the NULL or garbage entry and panicking instead of failing gracefully. Fix by moving the counter increments to after all allocations succeed, so the struct is always consistent on any error path.
Severity
7.8 (High)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Assigner
References
Impacted products
Vendor Product Version CPE status
Linux Linux Affected: 3d4ff657e454f8dba3e5e268e731e6e28c6031c1 , < 8ca9adc805884d3bb5038082462577f86c2c4a10 (git)
Affected: 3d4ff657e454f8dba3e5e268e731e6e28c6031c1 , < 1563ae33dc4f5ebac96b93af2ef72e72aaaa31ae (git)
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Linux Linux Affected: 6.5
Unaffected: 0 , < 6.5 (semver)
Unaffected: 7.1.5 , ≤ 7.1.* (semver)
Unaffected: 7.2 , ≤ * (original_commit_for_fix)
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{
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        {
          "defaultStatus": "unaffected",
          "product": "Linux",
          "programFiles": [
            "drivers/hwtracing/coresight/coresight-platform.c"
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          "value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\ncoresight: platform: defer connection counter increment until alloc succeeds\n\ncoresight_add_out_conn() increments nr_outconns before calling\ndevm_krealloc_array() and again before devm_kmalloc(). If either\nallocation fails, the counter is already bumped while the corresponding\narray entry is NULL or uninitialized garbage.\n\ncoresight_add_in_conn() has the same problem with nr_inconns and\ndevm_krealloc_array().\n\nIn both cases the probe returns -ENOMEM, which causes\ncoresight_get_platform_data() to call coresight_release_platform_data()\nfor cleanup. That function iterates up to nr_outconns (or nr_inconns)\nentries and dereferences each pointer unconditionally, hitting the NULL\nor garbage entry and panicking instead of failing gracefully.\n\nFix by moving the counter increments to after all allocations succeed,\nso the struct is always consistent on any error path."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "baseScore": 7.8,
            "baseSeverity": "HIGH",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
            "version": "3.1"
          },
          "scenarios": [
            {
              "lang": "en",
              "value": "AV:L - The flaw is in ARM CoreSight platform driver probe (coresight_get_platform_data/coresight_add_out_conn) while parsing firmware DT/ACPI connection graphs during local device initialization; there is no network, Bluetooth, or physical-bus path to this code.\nAC:L - An attacker can reliably force devm_kmalloc/devm_krealloc failure via memory exhaustion and time it with deferred CoreSight probe retries; success does not depend on uncontrollable layout or victim state beyond attacker-driven memory pressure.\nPR:L - Only a local unprivileged process is needed to exhaust memory; CoreSight drivers commonly reprobe after -EPROBE_DEFER once dependencies appear, so no init-namespace root, CAP_SYS_MODULE, or CAP_NET_ADMIN is required to reach the failing cleanup path.\nUI:N - No victim interaction is required; the attacker alone can create memory pressure and rely on automatic deferred driver reprobe without anyone mounting devices, opening files, or clicking prompts.\nS:U - Impact is a kernel panic and in-kernel memory corruption within the same kernel security authority; CoreSight is an on-chip trace/debug subsystem and this is not a VM escape, IOMMU bypass, or sandbox boundary crossing.\nC:H - If krealloc succeeds but the connection kmalloc fails, nr_outconns is already inflated while out_conns contains an uninitialized garbage pointer; coresight_release_platform_data() unconditionally dereferences conns[i]-\u003edest_fwnode, enabling arbitrary kernel memory reads before panic.\nI:H - Error cleanup calls fwnode_handle_put() and devm_kfree() on NULL or garbage connection pointers, corrupting kernel refcount/heap metadata and creating exploitable write primitives beyond a benign NULL dereference crash.\nA:H - The inconsistent nr_outconns counter makes coresight_release_platform_data() dereference NULL or garbage entries during probe error cleanup, causing a kernel oops/panic and total system unavailability on affected ARM/ARM64 platforms (phones, embedded, automotive, cloud)."
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
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        "dateUpdated": "2026-08-17T05:44:47.818Z",
        "orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
        "shortName": "Linux"
      },
      "references": [
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          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8ca9adc805884d3bb5038082462577f86c2c4a10"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1563ae33dc4f5ebac96b93af2ef72e72aaaa31ae"
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    "assignerShortName": "Linux",
    "cveId": "CVE-2026-72485",
    "datePublished": "2026-08-15T05:57:22.170Z",
    "dateReserved": "2026-08-09T03:40:39.935Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2026-08-17T05:44:47.818Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
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      "percentile": "0.04841"
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      "product_status:known_not_affected": "1",
      "source": "Microsoft CSAF VEX",
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      "title": "coresight: platform: defer connection counter increment until alloc succeeds",
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      "version": "1"
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    "nvd": "{\"cve\":{\"id\":\"CVE-2026-72485\",\"sourceIdentifier\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\",\"published\":\"2026-08-15T06:22:22.767\",\"lastModified\":\"2026-08-17T06:19:16.710\",\"vulnStatus\":\"Received\",\"cveTags\":[],\"descriptions\":[{\"lang\":\"en\",\"value\":\"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\\n\\ncoresight: platform: defer connection counter increment until alloc succeeds\\n\\ncoresight_add_out_conn() increments nr_outconns before calling\\ndevm_krealloc_array() and again before devm_kmalloc(). If either\\nallocation fails, the counter is already bumped while the corresponding\\narray entry is NULL or uninitialized garbage.\\n\\ncoresight_add_in_conn() has the same problem with nr_inconns and\\ndevm_krealloc_array().\\n\\nIn both cases the probe returns -ENOMEM, which causes\\ncoresight_get_platform_data() to call coresight_release_platform_data()\\nfor cleanup. That function iterates up to nr_outconns (or nr_inconns)\\nentries and dereferences each pointer unconditionally, hitting the NULL\\nor garbage entry and panicking instead of failing gracefully.\\n\\nFix by moving the counter increments to after all allocations succeed,\\nso the struct is always consistent on any error path.\"}],\"affected\":[{\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\",\"affectedData\":[{\"vendor\":\"Linux\",\"product\":\"Linux\",\"defaultStatus\":\"unaffected\",\"programFiles\":[\"drivers/hwtracing/coresight/coresight-platform.c\"],\"repo\":\"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git\",\"versions\":[{\"version\":\"3d4ff657e454f8dba3e5e268e731e6e28c6031c1\",\"lessThan\":\"8ca9adc805884d3bb5038082462577f86c2c4a10\",\"versionType\":\"git\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"3d4ff657e454f8dba3e5e268e731e6e28c6031c1\",\"lessThan\":\"1563ae33dc4f5ebac96b93af2ef72e72aaaa31ae\",\"versionType\":\"git\",\"status\":\"affected\"}]},{\"vendor\":\"Linux\",\"product\":\"Linux\",\"defaultStatus\":\"affected\",\"programFiles\":[\"drivers/hwtracing/coresight/coresight-platform.c\"],\"repo\":\"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git\",\"versions\":[{\"version\":\"6.5\",\"status\":\"affected\"},{\"version\":\"0\",\"lessThan\":\"6.5\",\"versionType\":\"semver\",\"status\":\"unaffected\"},{\"version\":\"7.1.5\",\"lessThanOrEqual\":\"7.1.*\",\"versionType\":\"semver\",\"status\":\"unaffected\"},{\"version\":\"7.2\",\"lessThanOrEqual\":\"*\",\"versionType\":\"original_commit_for_fix\",\"status\":\"unaffected\"}]}]}],\"metrics\":{\"cvssMetricV31\":[{\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\",\"type\":\"Secondary\",\"cvssData\":{\"version\":\"3.1\",\"vectorString\":\"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H\",\"baseScore\":7.8,\"baseSeverity\":\"HIGH\",\"attackVector\":\"LOCAL\",\"attackComplexity\":\"LOW\",\"privilegesRequired\":\"LOW\",\"userInteraction\":\"NONE\",\"scope\":\"UNCHANGED\",\"confidentialityImpact\":\"HIGH\",\"integrityImpact\":\"HIGH\",\"availabilityImpact\":\"HIGH\"},\"exploitabilityScore\":1.8,\"impactScore\":5.9}]},\"references\":[{\"url\":\"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1563ae33dc4f5ebac96b93af2ef72e72aaaa31ae\",\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\"},{\"url\":\"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8ca9adc805884d3bb5038082462577f86c2c4a10\",\"source\":\"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67\"}]}}",
    "redhat_vex": {
      "aggregate_severity": "Low",
      "current_release_date": "2026-09-01T10:42:39+00:00",
      "cve": "CVE-2026-72485",
      "id": "CVE-2026-72485",
      "initial_release_date": "2026-08-15T00:00:00+00:00",
      "product_status:known_not_affected": "274",
      "source": "Red Hat CSAF VEX",
      "status": "final",
      "title": "kernel: coresight: platform: defer connection counter increment until alloc succeeds",
      "url": "https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-72485.json",
      "version": "3"
    }
  }
}



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Forecast uses a logistic model when the trend is rising, or an exponential decay model when the trend is falling. Fitted via linearized least squares.

Sightings

Author Source Type Date Other

Nomenclature

  • Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
  • Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
  • Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
  • Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
  • Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
  • Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.


Detection rules are retrieved from Rulezet.