CVE-2026-72488

Kernel memory disclosure or corruption via off-by-one loop

Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026

Out-of-bounds access in the Linux SoundWire bandwidth allocator allows local users to read or corrupt kernel memory via ALSA PCM ioctls. The sdw_add_element_group_count loop uses i <= num while comparing group->rates[i] and group->lanes[i], so i == num accesses one element beyond both arrays. Reachability requires local access to an ALSA PCM device on an Intel SoundWire system; a second distinct rate-and-lane entry can disclose or corrupt adjacent heap data or crash the kernel.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.16%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Out-of-bounds access in the Linux SoundWire bandwidth allocator allows local users to read or corrupt kernel memory via ALSA PCM ioctls. The sdw_add_element_group_count loop uses i <= num while comparing group->rates[i] and group->lanes[i], so i == num accesses one element beyond both arrays. Reachability requires local access to an ALSA PCM device on an Intel SoundWire system; a second distinct rate-and-lane entry can disclose or corrupt adjacent heap data or crash the kernel.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-72488
Published
Aug 15, 2026
Updated
Aug 15, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1068, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 15, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 15, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=5.10
  2. Affected versionversion=9026118f20e28f202dab34f219bbb831ffb8c4dc <a454f61747c97e2eadaa7a35ffc1f4b1645c6a53
  3. Affected versionversion=9026118f20e28f202dab34f219bbb831ffb8c4dc <e483a406a23a92d5202e8d324f206e127eef48ff
  4. Affected versionversion=9026118f20e28f202dab34f219bbb831ffb8c4dc <f772ff5a0e6758fd412803c09e03ba3bca5f5878

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=5.10; version=9026118f20e28f202dab34f219bbb831ffb8c4dc <a454f61747c97e2eadaa7a35ffc1f4b1645c6a53; version=9026118f20e28f202dab34f219bbb831ffb8c4dc <e483a406a23a92d5202e8d324f206e127eef48ff; version=9026118f20e28f202dab34f219bbb831ffb8c4dc <f772ff5a0e6758fd412803c09e03ba3bca5f5878

Published CVSS scores

5.5SUSECVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
3.3Amazon LinuxCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
7.8Linux Kernel CNACVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

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.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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