CVE-2026-68263
Received Received - Intake

Double Free in PowerVR GPU Scheduler

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: drm/imagination: Fix double call to drm_sched_entity_fini() Call sequence of double call: pvr_context_destroy   pvr_context_kill_queues     pvr_queue_kill       drm_sched_entity_destroy         drm_sched_entity_fini // here   pvr_context_put     kref_put(..., pvr_context_release)       pvr_context_destroy_queues         pvr_queue_destroy           drm_sched_entity_fini // here Call to drm_sched_entity_destroy() from pvr_context_kill_queues() calls drm_sched_entity_flush() + drm_sched_entity_fini(). drm_sched_entity_flush() ensures all pending jobs are completed and drm_sched_entity_fini() ensures no further submission is allowed as per expectation from pvr_context_kill_queues(). Double call to drm_sched_entity_fini() is misuse of the API so keep call only in pvr_context_create() failure path. Stack trace for issue with addition of refcounting for DRM entity stats in commit fd177135f0e6 ("drm/sched: Account entity GPU time"): [ 789.490527] ------------[ cut here ]------------ [ 789.490559] refcount_t: underflow; use-after-free. [ 789.490657] WARNING: lib/refcount.c:28 at refcount_warn_saturate+0xf4/0x144, CPU#0: kworker/u16:1/440 [ 789.490695] Modules linked in: powervr drm_gpuvm drm_exec gpu_sched drm_shmem_helper xhci_plat_hcd xhci_hcd dwc3 usbcore usb_common snd_soc_simple_card snd_soc_simple_card_utils sa2ul sha512 sha256 dwc3_am62 sha1 authenc rti_wdt libsha512 at24 sch_fq_codel fuse dm_mod ipv6 [ 789.490798] CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 440 Comm: kworker/u16:1 Not tainted 7.0.0-rc7-02049-g5e2c0700091b #22 PREEMPT [ 789.490809] Hardware name: Texas Instruments AM625 SK (DT) [ 789.490815] Workqueue: powervr-sched pvr_queue_fence_release_work [powervr] [ 789.490868] pstate: 60000005 (nZCv daif -PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--) [ 789.490876] pc : refcount_warn_saturate+0xf4/0x144 [ 789.490884] lr : refcount_warn_saturate+0xf4/0x144 [ 789.490892] sp : ffff8000822cbcc0 [ 789.490895] x29: ffff8000822cbcc0 x28: 0000000000000000 x27: 0000000000000000 [ 789.490909] x26: 0000000000000000 x25: ffff800081b1e338 x24: ffff000004541405 [ 789.490922] x23: ffff000004bea950 x22: ffff00000042e400 x21: ffff000007123e30 [ 789.490935] x20: ffff000007123000 x19: ffff000007a80d50 x18: fffffffffffe7768 [ 789.490948] x17: 74736574202c6e6f x16: 697461746e656d65 x15: ffff800081b269f0 [ 789.490962] x14: 0000000000000030 x13: ffff800081b26a70 x12: 0000000000000211 [ 789.490975] x11: 00000000000000c0 x10: 0000000000000b50 x9 : ffff8000822cbb30 [ 789.490988] x8 : ffff0000014e7bb0 x7 : ffff00007725e780 x6 : 0000000372a05f49 [ 789.491001] x5 : 0000000000000000 x4 : 0000000000000001 x3 : 0000000000000010 [ 789.491013] x2 : 0000000000000000 x1 : 0000000000000000 x0 : ffff0000014e7000 [ 789.491027] Call trace: [ 789.491032] refcount_warn_saturate+0xf4/0x144 (P) [ 789.491043] drm_sched_entity_fini+0x164/0x18c [gpu_sched] [ 789.491081] pvr_queue_destroy+0x64/0x134 [powervr] [ 789.491110] pvr_context_destroy_queues+0x34/0x64 [powervr] [ 789.491138] pvr_context_release+0x70/0xac [powervr] [ 789.491166] pvr_context_put.part.0+0x5c/0x7c [powervr] [ 789.491193] pvr_context_put+0x14/0x24 [powervr] [ 789.491221] pvr_queue_fence_release_work+0x20/0x38 [powervr] [ 789.491249] process_one_work+0x160/0x4c4 [ 789.491264] worker_thread+0x188/0x310 [ 789.491276] kthread+0x130/0x13c [ 789.491287] ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 [ 789.491300] ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---

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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-2026-68263
EUVD
EUVD-2026-55364

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 2 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
imagination powervr *
linux linux_kernel 7.0.0-rc7-02049-g5e2c0700091b

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves a double call to drm_sched_entity_fini() in the PowerVR GPU driver. The issue occurs during context destruction when pvr_context_destroy() triggers pvr_context_kill_queues(), which calls drm_sched_entity_destroy() and then drm_sched_entity_fini(). Later, pvr_context_put() calls pvr_context_destroy_queues(), which again calls drm_sched_entity_fini(). This double call misuses the API, leading to a refcount underflow and potential use-after-free condition.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's PowerVR GPU driver. Detection requires checking kernel logs for refcount underflow warnings or use-after-free errors related to drm_sched_entity_fini. Monitor system logs for errors like 'refcount_t: underflow; use-after-free' or stack traces involving powervr, drm_sched_entity_fini, or pvr_queue_destroy.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could cause system instability, crashes, or security issues due to memory corruption from the refcount underflow. It may lead to kernel panics, data corruption, or privilege escalation if exploited. Systems using PowerVR GPUs with affected Linux kernels are at risk.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest kernel update that includes the fix for this issue. If using a PowerVR GPU, ensure your kernel version includes the patch that removes the double call to drm_sched_entity_fini. Monitor vendor advisories for PowerVR driver updates.

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