CVE-2026-68231
Received Received - Intake

Buffer Leak in Airspy Kernel Driver on Start Failure

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: airspy: Return queued buffers on start_streaming() failure The vb2 framework hands buffers to the driver via buf_queue() before calling start_streaming(). If start_streaming() returns an error without first returning those buffers via vb2_buffer_done(), vb2_start_streaming() fires WARN_ON(owned_by_drv_count) and the queued buffers leak. airspy_start_streaming() returned -ENODEV early when the USB device had been disconnected (s->udev == NULL) without returning any buffers that buf_queue() had already accepted. Take v4l2_lock first and jump to the existing err_clear_bit label, which already drains s->queued_bufs via vb2_buffer_done(..., VB2_BUF_STATE_QUEUED) before unlocking. This mirrors the uvcvideo fix in commit 4cf3b6fd54eb ("media: uvcvideo: Return queued buffers on start_streaming() failure").

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
Percentile:

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-2026-68231
EUVD
EUVD-2026-55332

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
airspy airspy *

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
CWE Icon
KEV
KEV Icon
CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

AI Quick Actions

Instant insights powered by AI
Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel affects the airspy media driver. When the airspy_start_streaming() function fails, it does not return buffers that were queued via buf_queue() to the driver. This causes a buffer leak because the vb2 framework expects these buffers to be returned via vb2_buffer_done() before start_streaming() fails.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's media subsystem and the airspy driver. Detection requires checking kernel logs for errors related to airspy or media device streaming failures. Use commands like dmesg | grep airspy or journalctl -k | grep airspy to inspect kernel logs for relevant errors.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability could lead to resource exhaustion on the system due to leaked buffers. It may cause instability or crashes in applications using the airspy driver, particularly those involved in media streaming or processing.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the Linux kernel to a patched version that includes the fix for this vulnerability. Monitor kernel updates from your distribution and apply them promptly. If using a custom kernel, ensure it includes the fix from commit 4cf3b6fd54eb or later.

Chat Assistant

Ask questions about this CVE
Hi! I’m here to help you understand CVE-2026-68231. Ask me anything about the vulnerability, its impact, or mitigation strategies.
0/70

EPSS Chart