CVE-2026-72314
Received Received - Intake

Incorrect Deadlock Handling in Linux Kernel Regulator Core

Publication date: 2026-08-15

Last updated on: 2026-08-15

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: regulator: core: regulator_lock_two() should test for EDEADLK not EDEADLOCK Compare against -EDEADLK, which is what ww_mutex_lock() actually returns and what every other deadlock check in this file already uses. Function regulator_lock_two() acquires two regulators via regulator_lock_nested() -> ww_mutex_lock(). On contention, ww_mutex_lock() returns -EDEADLK, which is the caller's signal to drop the lock it holds and retry the acquisition in the canonical order. However, regulator_lock_two() tests the return value against -EDEADLOCK rather than -EDEADLK. On most architectures, EDEADLK and EDEADLOCK are the same value, so the comparison happens to be correct and the bug is invisible. But on MIPS, SPARC, and PowerPC, those two errors have different values. The test is wrong: a genuine -EDEADLK backoff no longer matches -EDEADLOCK, so instead of unlocking and retrying, the code falls into WARN_ON(ret) and returns with only one of the two regulators locked. In practice, this is a bug only on MIPS, because the regulator core is not built or used on the other two platforms. In general, EDEADLK is preferred over EDEADLOCK for new code.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-15
Last Modified
2026-08-15
Generated
2026-08-15
AI Q&A
2026-08-15
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-72314
EUVD
EUVD-2026-59213

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel *

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Exploitability

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This is a Linux kernel vulnerability where regulator_lock_two() incorrectly checks for -EDEADLOCK instead of -EDEADLK when handling regulator lock contention. The function acquires two regulators via ww_mutex_lock(), which returns -EDEADLK on deadlock. The wrong error check causes the code to fail to unlock and retry properly on certain architectures like MIPS, SPARC, and PowerPC, leading to a partially locked state.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's regulator subsystem and is only exploitable on MIPS, SPARC, and PowerPC architectures. Detection requires checking the kernel version and architecture. Use 'uname -m' to verify your system's architecture and 'uname -r' to check the kernel version. If your system is MIPS and runs a vulnerable kernel version, inspect the regulator core code for the incorrect EDEADLOCK check.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could lead to system instability or crashes if regulator locking fails on affected architectures. It may cause partial locking of regulators, potentially disrupting power management and leading to unexpected behavior in hardware-dependent software.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest kernel update from your distribution to patch the regulator_lock_two() function. If no patch is available, avoid using the regulator subsystem on MIPS systems or recompile the kernel with the corrected EDEADLK check. Monitor vendor advisories for updates.

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