CVE-2026-93233
Received Received - Intake

Integer Underflow in Nouveau DRM Kernel Module

Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-93233, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

Publication date: 2026-09-24

Last updated on: 2026-09-24

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/nouveau/dmem: fix callocated underflow on large folio split nouveau_dmem_folio_free() drops chunk->callocated once per freed folio, while a large (compound) device-private folio is only counted once when it is allocated. When such a folio is split, the mm core invokes ->folio_split() (nouveau_dmem_folio_split()) once for each new sub-folio, but the hook only fixes up the sub-folio metadata and leaves chunk->callocated unchanged. Each resulting sub-folio is later freed separately, so after a split the single allocation (+1) is met by N frees (-N), leaving chunk->callocated short by N-1. On the first split/free cycle it underflows: WARN_ON(!chunk->callocated) fires, the unsigned counter wraps and never returns to zero, so the chunk can no longer be reclaimed (nouveau_dmem_fini() also warns on the leaked count). Account for the new sub-folio in the split hook, under the same lock as nouveau_dmem_folio_free(), so the count stays balanced.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-24
Last Modified
2026-09-24
Generated
2026-09-25
AI Q&A
2026-09-24
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
EUVD

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 2 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux kernel *
nouveau linux_kernel *

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This is a Linux kernel vulnerability in the Nouveau DRM driver's device memory management. It involves an underflow in the chunk->callocated counter when large folios are split. The issue occurs because the counter is decremented once per folio split but incremented only once during allocation, leading to a negative value that prevents proper memory reclamation.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's Nouveau DRM driver and involves memory management in device-private folios. Detection requires checking kernel logs for warnings related to nouveau_dmem_folio_free() and chunk->callocated underflow. Monitor dmesg or journalctl for Nouveau-related errors.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could cause memory leaks in the Nouveau graphics driver, potentially leading to system instability or crashes. It may also trigger kernel warnings about leaked memory, though it does not directly enable privilege escalation or data breaches.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability is a memory management issue in the Linux kernel's Nouveau driver that could lead to resource leaks and potential system instability. It does not directly affect compliance with standards like GDPR or HIPAA, as those focus on data protection and privacy rather than kernel memory management.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the latest Linux kernel updates that include the fix for this issue. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling the Nouveau DRM driver if not required, or restrict access to GPU resources until the kernel is updated.

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