CVE-2026-68223
Received Received - Intake

Memory Leak in Linux Kernel Meson VDEC Driver

Publication date: 2026-08-10

Last updated on: 2026-08-10

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: media: meson: vdec: Fix memory leak in error path of vdec_open The vdec_open() function previously jumped directly to err_m2m_release when vdec_init_ctrls() failed, skipping release of the m2m context. This caused a resource leak. Fix it by introducing a proper err_m2m_ctx_release label that calls v4l2_m2m_ctx_release(sess->m2m_ctx) before releasing the m2m device. This was identified via kmemleak: unreferenced object 0xffff0000205d6878 (size 8): comm "v4l_id", pid 5289, jiffies 4294938580 hex dump (first 8 bytes): 40 d2 49 18 00 00 ff ff @.I..... backtrace (crc d3204599): kmemleak_alloc+0xc8/0xf0 __kvmalloc_node_noprof+0x60c/0x850 v4l2_ctrl_handler_init_class+0x1b4/0x2e8 [videodev] vdec_open+0x1f4/0x788 [meson_vdec] v4l2_open+0x144/0x460 [videodev] chrdev_open+0x1ac/0x500 do_dentry_open+0x3f0/0xfe8 vfs_open+0x68/0x320 do_open+0x2d8/0x9a8 path_openat+0x1d0/0x4f0 do_filp_open+0x190/0x380 do_sys_openat2+0xf8/0x1b0 __arm64_sys_openat+0x13c/0x1e8 invoke_syscall+0xdc/0x268 el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0x178/0x258 do_el0_svc+0x4c/0x70

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-10
Last Modified
2026-08-10
Generated
2026-08-10
AI Q&A
2026-08-10
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-68223
EUVD
EUVD-2026-55324

Affected Vendors & Products

Currently, no data is known.

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Exploitability

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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This is a memory leak vulnerability in the Linux kernel's media subsystem, specifically in the meson video decoder (vdec). When the vdec_open() function fails to initialize controls, it skips releasing the memory-mapped (m2m) context, causing a resource leak. The fix introduces proper cleanup to release the m2m context before exiting.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's media subsystem and involves a memory leak in the meson vdec driver. Detection requires checking for memory leaks in the vdec_open function or related video device operations. Use kmemleak or similar tools to identify unreferenced objects in the kernel memory. Commands like 'sudo dmesg | grep -i leak' or 'sudo cat /sys/kernel/debug/kmemleak' may help identify leaks.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could lead to gradual memory exhaustion on affected systems. Over time, unpatched systems may experience performance degradation or crashes due to leaked memory resources. It primarily affects systems using the meson video decoder.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the kernel patch that fixes the memory leak in the meson vdec driver. Update your Linux kernel to a version that includes the fix for CVE-2026-68223. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling the affected media driver module (meson_vdec) if not required.

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