CVE-2026-68217
Received Received - Intake

Buffer Leak in Linux Kernel pwc Driver

Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-68217, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

Publication date: 2026-08-10

Last updated on: 2026-08-19

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: media: pwc: Drain fill_buf on start_streaming() failure pwc_isoc_init() submits its isochronous URBs with usb_submit_urb(.., GFP_KERNEL) in a loop. After the first URB is submitted, its completion handler pwc_isoc_handler() can run on another CPU before the loop finishes: start_streaming() pwc_isoc_init() usb_submit_urb(urbs[0], GFP_KERNEL) pwc_isoc_handler(urbs[0]) pdev->fill_buf = pwc_get_next_fill_buf(pdev) usb_submit_urb(urbs[i>0], ..) -> fails pwc_isoc_cleanup(pdev) /* kills URBs */ return ret; pwc_cleanup_queued_bufs(pdev, VB2_BUF_STATE_QUEUED) pwc_get_next_fill_buf() detaches a buffer from pdev->queued_bufs and stores it in pdev->fill_buf. The error path in start_streaming() only drains pdev->queued_bufs, so the buffer parked in pdev->fill_buf is leaked. vb2_start_streaming() then triggers WARN_ON(owned_by_drv_count). stop_streaming() already handles this since commit 80b0963e1698 ("[media] pwc: fix WARN_ON"), which added the fill_buf drain in the teardown path but not in the start_streaming() error path. Mirror that handling on failure so start_streaming() returns with no buffer owned by the driver. Issue identified by automated review of the INV-003 series at https://sashiko.dev/

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-10
Last Modified
2026-08-19
Generated
2026-08-31
AI Q&A
2026-08-10
EPSS Evaluated
2026-08-29
NVD
EUVD

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 2 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux_kernel linux_kernel *
linux linux_kernel *

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves a buffer leak in the pwc (Philips Webcam) driver. When starting a video stream, the driver submits USB requests but fails to properly clean up a buffer if an error occurs during initialization. This leaves a buffer in an inconsistent state, triggering a kernel warning about buffer ownership.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's media subsystem, particularly the pwc driver for USB webcams. Detection requires checking kernel logs for WARN_ON(owned_by_drv_count) messages during webcam streaming operations. Monitor dmesg or journalctl for errors related to pwc or media subsystem failures.

Impact Analysis

This could cause system instability or crashes when using affected webcams. The kernel warning may lead to kernel panic or forced termination of the webcam process. Users might experience sudden failures during video streaming or capture.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability does not directly affect compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or similar standards. It is a kernel media driver issue causing buffer leaks during streaming failures, which does not involve data exposure or privacy violations typical of compliance concerns.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest kernel updates from your distribution to ensure the fix is included. If immediate patching is not possible, disable the pwc driver by blacklisting it or unloading the module with rmmod pwc. Avoid using affected USB webcams until patched.

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