CVE-2026-68273

Received Received - Intake

AMDGPU Context Pstate Override Use-After-Free

Publication date: 2026-08-10

Last updated on: 2026-08-17

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/amdgpu: Fix context pstate override handling There are several problems in the context pstate handling code. The most serious ones are potential use-after-free and NULL pointer dereferences at context initialization time. Both are due amdgpu_ctx_init() not holding the adev->pm.stable_pstate_ctx_lock, which is otherwise used from both sysfs and the context code itself for modifying and clearing the stored context pointer. Second issue is that context fini can trample over the pstate configuration set via sysfs. This is due the restore state (ctx->stable_pstate) being saved at context init time, and not if, or when the context actually changes the pstate. As the context exits it will therefore incorrectly restore to what was set before the sysfs override was requested. The simplest fix is to drastically simplify how the state is tracked, by clearly defining the points at which pstate ownership is taken and released, and to handle all transitions under the correct lock. Instead of at context init time, the previous state is saved only at the point the context overrides the current state, and is restored on context exit only if the context is still the owner of the current override state. (cherry picked from commit 1b5e413713c0a93bc1818394d0ce49aaad21bd27)

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-08-10

Last Modified

2026-08-17

Generated

2026-08-30

AI Q&A

2026-08-10

EPSS Evaluated

2026-08-29

NVD

CVE-2026-68273

EUVD

EUVD-2026-55374

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
linux	linux_kernel	*

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves improper handling of context pstate (power state) overrides in the AMDGPU driver. It leads to potential use-after-free and NULL pointer dereferences during context initialization due to missing proper locking. Additionally, context cleanup can incorrectly restore pstate settings, overriding sysfs modifications because the state is saved at the wrong time.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's AMD GPU driver (amdgpu) and involves context pstate handling issues like use-after-free and NULL pointer dereferences. Detection requires checking kernel logs for AMD GPU-related errors or crashes during context initialization or pstate operations. Commands to check include: dmesg | grep amdgpu for GPU-related errors, journalctl -k | grep amdgpu for system logs, and cat /proc/version to verify kernel version. If the kernel version is vulnerable, update to a patched version.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could cause system instability, crashes, or unexpected behavior in systems using AMDGPU graphics. It may lead to data corruption or security issues if exploited maliciously. Users might experience graphical glitches, application failures, or system freezes.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability does not directly affect compliance with standards like GDPR or HIPAA as it is specific to the Linux kernel's AMD GPU driver and involves memory management issues such as use-after-free and NULL pointer dereferences. Compliance impacts would depend on system-specific configurations and usage rather than the vulnerability itself.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the Linux kernel to the latest stable version that includes the fix for CVE-2026-68273. This vulnerability affects the AMD GPU driver, so ensure your system uses a patched kernel version.

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