CVE-2026-74711
Received Received - Intake

Type Confusion in Linux Kernel hwmon pmbus

Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-74711, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

Publication date: 2026-08-22

Last updated on: 2026-08-22

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: hwmon: (pmbus) Fix type confusion in notification logic Sashiko reports: At the start of the loop in pmbus_notify(), the code unconditionally casts every attribute to a struct sensor_device_attribute: drivers/hwmon/pmbus/pmbus_core.c:pmbus_notify() { for (i = 0; i < data->num_attributes; i++) { struct device_attribute *da = to_dev_attr(data->group.attrs[i]); struct sensor_device_attribute *attr = to_sensor_dev_attr(da); int index = attr->index; ... } However, data->group.attrs can contain other types like struct pmbus_samples_reg or struct pmbus_sensor, which only embed a base struct device_attribute. If da is a struct pmbus_samples_reg, dev_attr is the last member. Casting it to struct sensor_device_attribute and reading the index field appears to access memory past the end of the allocation, which might trigger a slab-out-of-bounds read. Additionally, if da is a struct pmbus_sensor, casting it causes the index field to overlap with the page, phase, and reg fields. Could this produce a garbage mask on little-endian systems that spuriously matches the target reg, page, and flags during an alert? Fix the problem by using struct sensor_device_attr in struct pmbus_sensor and struct pmbus_label. Since those attributes never trigger a notification, set the value of attr->index to -1 for them. Use this value to distinguish from boolean attributes which _can_ trigger a notification and use the index field to encode mask, page, and register values.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
Percentile:

Meta Information

Published
2026-08-22
Last Modified
2026-08-22
Generated
2026-08-22
AI Q&A
2026-08-22
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
EUVD

Affected Vendors & Products

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

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 is a type confusion issue in the Linux kernel's hwmon subsystem, specifically in the pmbus driver. It occurs when the code incorrectly casts device attributes to a different type, leading to potential out-of-bounds memory reads or incorrect data interpretation. The issue arises because the code assumes all attributes are of a specific type, but they can be other types that only embed the base attribute structure.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's hwmon subsystem, particularly in the pmbus driver. Detection requires checking the kernel version and verifying if the vulnerable code path exists in the pmbus_notify function. Inspect the kernel source or use system commands to identify the affected driver and version.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could allow an attacker to trigger a slab-out-of-bounds read, potentially leading to memory corruption, crashes, or privilege escalation. It might also cause incorrect behavior in hardware monitoring systems due to garbage values being used in comparisons or alerts.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest kernel update provided by your Linux distribution to patch the vulnerability. If an update is not immediately available, consider disabling the pmbus hwmon driver if not required, or restrict access to hwmon device files to reduce exposure.

Chat Assistant

Ask questions about this CVE
Hi! I’m here to help you understand CVE-2026-74711. Ask me anything about the vulnerability, its impact, or mitigation strategies.
0/70

EPSS Chart