Local kernel crash via unsynchronized MIDI teardown
Published Aug 15, 2026 · Updated Aug 15, 2026
Use-after-free in the ALSA sequencer MIDI layer in Linux allows local users to crash the kernel during concurrent output teardown. The event_process_midi() path borrows output_rfile.output without synchronizing with midisynth_unuse(), which can free substream->runtime before snd_rawmidi_kernel_write1() pins it. Triggering the race requires local ALSA sequencer MIDI access during the final output close; the reproduced result is a NULL dereference or stale-runtime access, with no demonstrated code execution.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the ALSA sequencer MIDI layer in Linux allows local users to crash the kernel during concurrent output teardown. The event_process_midi() path borrows output_rfile.output without synchronizing with midisynth_unuse(), which can free substream->runtime before snd_rawmidi_kernel_write1() pins it. Triggering the race requires local ALSA sequencer MIDI access during the final output close; the reproduced result is a NULL dereference or stale-runtime access, with no demonstrated code execution.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-74387
- Published
- Aug 15, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 15, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 15, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 15, 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?
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- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <11165fe2c5ea0516debe486d91df67abbe36905e
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <718f6a56b40875f19e6915799044a02df9abfd52
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <936641af564c3d92721704b781e36aaf223efdd2
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <d6fd2afb137f52bf00c5210cc44d08ed54dcffb4
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <ef7607ab1c8adc6258fb1b27d08e26aecdc18a58
- Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <f5d470b808bc01f70978e22e595c6f7768313406
- Affected versionversion=2.6.12
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What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Technologies
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