CVE-2026-98836
Received Received - Intake

Buffer Overflow in Linux Kernel ALSA Line6 Driver

Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-98836, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

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: ALSA: line6: reject oversized playback packets Each playback URB is handed a slice of out.buffer that is exactly LINE6_ISO_PACKETS * max_packet_size_out bytes, sized from the OUT endpoint, but the number of bytes written into that slice is never compared against it. submit_audio_out_urb() takes the frame count from prev_fsize, which audio_in_callback() derived from the *IN* endpoint's received packet length, and rescales it with the playback frame size; when prev_fsize is still zero it synthesizes a length from the sample rate instead. On a device declaring a large IN wMaxPacketSize and a small OUT wMaxPacketSize, the resulting memcpy(), or the memset() when the playback stream is idle, runs past its slice and, as the reproducer below shows, beyond the allocation. usb_submit_urb() is not a backstop. max_packet_size_out comes from usb_maxpacket(), which returns only the low 11 bits of wMaxPacketSize, while USB core validates a high-speed isochronous length against that base scaled by usb_endpoint_maxp_mult(). A length of up to three times the allocated slice is therefore accepted, and even a rejected URB is only rejected after the write. Reject a packet that does not fit the slice the driver allocated for it. Clamping it instead would silently shorten the capture-derived rate feedback and desynchronize the two streams. BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in submit_audio_out_urb (sound/usb/line6/playback.c:229) Write of size 1024 at addr ffff888100bbd400 by task kworker/1:2/5002 Workqueue: events line6_startup_work Call Trace: __asan_memcpy (mm/kasan/shadow.c:106) submit_audio_out_urb (sound/usb/line6/playback.c:229) line6_submit_audio_out_all_urbs (sound/usb/line6/playback.c:291) line6_stream_start (sound/usb/line6/pcm.c:194) line6_pcm_acquire (sound/usb/line6/pcm.c:337) line6_startup_work (sound/usb/line6/driver.c:728) process_one_work (kernel/workqueue.c:3396) worker_thread (kernel/workqueue.c:3479 kernel/workqueue.c:3560) kthread (kernel/kthread.c:436) ret_from_fork (arch/x86/kernel/process.c:158) ret_from_fork_asm (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:245) The buggy address belongs to the object at ffff888100bbd400 which belongs to the cache kmalloc-256 of size 256 The buggy address is located 0 bytes inside of allocated 256-byte region [ffff888100bbd400, ffff888100bbd500)

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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
EUVD

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 5 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
Linux Linux 7a0f55aeeb8f1fa32a119d34ddfefc6100936692
Linux Linux 7a0f55aeeb8f1fa32a119d34ddfefc6100936692
Linux Linux 7a0f55aeeb8f1fa32a119d34ddfefc6100936692
Linux Linux 7a0f55aeeb8f1fa32a119d34ddfefc6100936692
Linux Linux 4.9

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

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CWE ID Description
CWE-UNKNOWN

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Executive Summary

This is a Linux kernel vulnerability in the ALSA line6 driver where playback packets larger than allocated memory can cause a buffer overflow. The driver fails to validate the size of incoming audio data against the allocated buffer, leading to potential memory corruption when processing oversized packets.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to the Linux kernel's ALSA line6 driver and involves a buffer overflow in USB audio playback handling. Detection requires checking the kernel version and loaded line6 module. Use commands like 'uname -a' to check kernel version and 'lsmod | grep line6' to see if the vulnerable module is loaded.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to crash the system, execute arbitrary code, or gain elevated privileges by sending specially crafted audio data. Systems using vulnerable line6 USB audio devices may experience kernel crashes or security breaches.

Mitigation Strategies

Immediate mitigation involves updating the Linux kernel to a patched version that resolves the line6 buffer overflow issue. If updating is not immediately possible, consider unloading the line6 module with 'modprobe -r snd-usb-line6' if not in use, or restrict access to USB audio devices until patched.

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