CVE-2026-97501
Received Received - Intake

Linux Kernel GPIO Direction Bypass in Mediatek Paris

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: pinctrl: mediatek: paris: bypass pinctrl GPIO layer in set GPIO direction pinctrl_gpio_direction_input() / pinctrl_gpio_direction_output() take the pinctrl mutex. This causes a gpiochip operations to need to sleep. Worse yet, the .can_sleep field in the gpiochip is not set. This causes the shared GPIO proxy to trip over, as it uses gpiod_cansleep() to check whether it can use a spinlock or needs a mutex. In this case, it ends up taking a spinlock, then calls pinctrl_gpio_direction_output(), which takes a mutex. This causes a huge warning. While this class of Mediatek hardware does not have separate clear/set registers, the pinctrl context has a spinlock that is taken whenever a register read-modify-write is done. Also, once the GPIO function is selected / muxed in, further GPIO operations do not involve pinctrl operations or state. The GPIO direction and level values do not require toggling the pinmux or any other pin config options. Switch to directly calling mtk_pinmux_gpio_set_direction() in the GPIO set direction callbacks to avoid taking the pinctrl mutex. Drop the .gpio_set_direction field in mtk_pmxops to signal we are no longer using the pinctrl GPIO layer for setting the direction.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-24
Last Modified
2026-09-24
Generated
2026-09-24
AI Q&A
2026-09-24
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-97501
EUVD
EUVD-2026-86099

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
mediatek paris *

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Exploitability

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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves a race condition in GPIO direction setting for Mediatek hardware. The issue occurs because pinctrl_gpio_direction_input/output() functions take a pinctrl mutex, causing GPIO operations to sleep. The GPIO proxy incorrectly uses a spinlock after checking gpiod_cansleep(), leading to a mutex being taken while holding a spinlock. This triggers kernel warnings due to improper locking.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's pinctrl subsystem for Mediatek hardware. Detection requires checking kernel logs for warnings related to GPIO operations or pinctrl mutex issues. Look for messages about spinlocks and mutexes being taken inappropriately during GPIO direction changes.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can cause system instability or crashes due to kernel warnings and potential deadlocks. Systems using Mediatek hardware with GPIO operations may experience unexpected behavior or failures when setting GPIO directions. It primarily affects embedded Linux systems with Mediatek SoCs.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply the kernel patch that resolves this issue by updating to a version containing the fix. The patch changes the GPIO direction handling to bypass the pinctrl GPIO layer, preventing mutex-related issues. Check your Linux distribution for updated kernel packages.

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