CVE-2026-43246
Memory Leak in Linux Kernel i2c/tw9906 Driver
Publication date: 2026-05-06
Last updated on: 2026-05-06
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
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Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | * |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-UNKNOWN |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability is a potential memory leak in the Linux kernel's media subsystem, specifically in the i2c/tw9906 driver. During the initialization process in the function tw9906_probe(), if an error occurs, the memory allocated by v4l2_ctrl_handler_init() and v4l2_ctrl_new_std() is not properly freed. This issue has been fixed by ensuring that v4l2_ctrl_handler_free() is called to release the allocated memory in the error path.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
The impact of this vulnerability is a potential memory leak in the Linux kernel when using the tw9906 driver. Over time, repeated triggering of this error path could lead to increased memory usage, which might degrade system performance or stability. However, there is no indication that this vulnerability leads to privilege escalation, data corruption, or remote code execution.
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
To mitigate this vulnerability, update the Linux kernel to a version where the tw9906_probe() memory leak issue has been fixed.
This fix involves ensuring that memory allocated in v4l2_ctrl_handler_init() and v4l2_ctrl_new_std() is properly freed by calling v4l2_ctrl_handler_free() in the error path.