CVE-2026-98657
Received Received - Intake

IIO Proximity PulsedLight Probe Failure Memory Leak

Publication date: 2026-10-18

Last updated on: 2026-10-18

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iio: proximity: pulsedlight: fix iio_device left registered on PM setup failure pm_runtime_set_active() failing in probe() jumps to error_unreg_buffer, which only calls iio_triggered_buffer_cleanup() -- it does not undo the iio_device_register() that already succeeded a few lines above. probe() then returns the error, the devm-managed indio_dev is freed, but the iio core still has it registered: the sysfs/chardev nodes stay live and point at freed memory. Add an error_unreg_dev label that unregisters the iio device before falling through to the existing buffer cleanup, mirroring the teardown order already used in lidar_remove().

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Meta Information

Published
2026-10-18
Last Modified
2026-10-18
Generated
2026-10-18
AI Q&A
2026-10-18
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-98657
EUVD
EUVD-2026-103911

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 5 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
Linux Linux 4ac4e086fd8c59e6b69089e6f7605500b63a6d17
Linux Linux 4ac4e086fd8c59e6b69089e6f7605500b63a6d17
Linux Linux 4ac4e086fd8c59e6b69089e6f7605500b63a6d17
Linux Linux 4ac4e086fd8c59e6b69089e6f7605500b63a6d17
Linux Linux 4.5

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel involves a failure in the probe function of the iio proximity driver. When pm_runtime_set_active() fails, the error handling jumps to error_unreg_buffer, which only cleans up the buffer but leaves the iio_device registered. This causes the device to remain accessible via sysfs/chardev nodes even after the driver fails to initialize, potentially leading to use-after-free issues.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability affects the Linux kernel's IIO proximity subsystem. Detection requires checking kernel logs for probe failures in the pulsedlight driver or examining sysfs entries for stale iio device nodes. Look for errors during driver initialization or unexpected device registration after failure. No direct network detection is applicable.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability could allow attackers to interact with freed memory through the still-active sysfs/chardev nodes, leading to crashes, data corruption, or privilege escalation. Systems using affected proximity sensors may experience instability or security risks.

Mitigation Strategies

Update the Linux kernel to a patched version where this issue is resolved. If immediate patching isn't possible, disable the affected proximity driver module (pulsedlight) to prevent the vulnerable code path from being triggered. Monitor kernel logs for related errors as a sign of exploitation.

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