CVE-2026-43436

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

USB-audio Driver NULL Dereference in Scarlett2 Mixer

Publication date: 2026-05-08

Last updated on: 2026-05-21

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ALSA: usb-audio: Check endpoint numbers at parsing Scarlett2 mixer interfaces The Scarlett2 mixer quirk in USB-audio driver may hit a NULL dereference when a malformed USB descriptor is passed, since it assumes the presence of an endpoint in the parsed interface in scarlett2_find_fc_interface(), as reported by fuzzer. For avoiding the NULL dereference, just add the sanity check of bNumEndpoints and skip the invalid interface.

CVSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-05-08

Last Modified

2026-05-21

Generated

2026-07-09

AI Q&A

2026-05-08

EPSS Evaluated

2026-07-08

NVD

CVE-2026-43436

EUVD

EUVD-2026-28742

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
linux	linux_kernel	7.0
linux	linux_kernel	7.0
linux	linux_kernel	7.0
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.2 (inc) to 6.6.130 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.13 (inc) to 6.18.19 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.7 (inc) to 6.12.78 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	From 6.19 (inc) to 6.19.9 (exc)
linux	linux_kernel	From 5.14 (inc) to 6.1.167 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-476	The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's USB audio driver, specifically in the Scarlett2 mixer quirk. The issue occurs because the driver assumes that a USB interface has an endpoint without properly checking. If a malformed USB descriptor is passed, this assumption can lead to a NULL pointer dereference, causing a potential crash or instability.

The problem arises in the function scarlett2_find_fc_interface(), where the code does not verify the number of endpoints (bNumEndpoints) before accessing them. The fix involves adding a sanity check for bNumEndpoints and skipping any invalid interfaces to prevent the NULL dereference.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can cause the Linux kernel's USB audio driver to dereference a NULL pointer when handling malformed USB descriptors. This may lead to system crashes, kernel panics, or instability when connecting or using affected USB audio devices, potentially disrupting normal system operation.

Mitigation Strategies

The vulnerability is caused by a NULL dereference in the USB-audio driver when parsing malformed USB descriptors for Scarlett2 mixer interfaces.

To mitigate this vulnerability, ensure your Linux kernel is updated to a version where the ALSA usb-audio driver includes the fix that adds a sanity check for the number of endpoints (bNumEndpoints) and skips invalid interfaces.

Compliance Impact

The provided information does not specify any impact of this vulnerability on compliance with common standards and regulations such as GDPR or HIPAA.

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