Memory disclosure or crash via unvalidated UAC3 header
Published Mar 25, 2026 · Updated Mar 25, 2026
Out-of-bounds read in the Linux Kernel ALSA usb-audio driver allows physically proximate attackers to expose memory or crash systems. The sound/usb/validate.c table labels the UAC3 AC header validator as UAC_VERSION_2, so real UAC3 descriptors never match and truncated fields remain unchecked. Exploitation requires attaching a crafted UAC3 USB audio device; subsequent descriptor access reads beyond the supplied header, disclosing memory or interrupting the system.
Summary
What happened
Out-of-bounds read in the Linux Kernel ALSA usb-audio driver allows physically proximate attackers to expose memory or crash systems. The sound/usb/validate.c table labels the UAC3 AC header validator as UAC_VERSION_2, so real UAC3 descriptors never match and truncated fields remain unchecked. Exploitation requires attaching a crafted UAC3 USB audio device; subsequent descriptor access reads beyond the supplied header, disclosing memory or interrupting the system.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-23318
- Published
- Mar 25, 2026
- Updated
- Mar 25, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux Kernel
- Classifications
- CWE-125, T1200
- Attack vector
- physical
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 25, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 25, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=17821e2fb16752f5d363fb5c3f8aab4df41b9bcc
- Affected versionversion=5.4
- Affected versionversion=57f8770620e9b51c61089751f0b5ad3dbe376ff2 <0dcd1ed96c03459cf14706885c9dd3c1fd8bd29f
- Affected versionversion=57f8770620e9b51c61089751f0b5ad3dbe376ff2 <1e5753ff4c2e86aa88516f97a224c90a3d0b133e
- Affected versionversion=57f8770620e9b51c61089751f0b5ad3dbe376ff2 <499ffd15b00dc91ac95c28f76959dfb5cdcc84d5
- Affected versionversion=57f8770620e9b51c61089751f0b5ad3dbe376ff2 <54f9d645a5453d0bfece0c465d34aaf072ea99fa
- Affected versionversion=57f8770620e9b51c61089751f0b5ad3dbe376ff2 <a0c6ae2ea84528f198bf7fd0117f12fd0cf6d7cc
- Affected versionversion=57f8770620e9b51c61089751f0b5ad3dbe376ff2 <d3904ca40515272681ae61ad6f561c24f190957f
- Affected versionversion=bf74a46aebb1b5ab5e5f25bafa4ae0a453ba813a
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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