Memory leak via unreleased DRM commit references
Published Sep 16, 2026 · Updated Sep 16, 2026
Memory leak in the Linux kernel DRM subsystem allows local users to consume kernel memory through interrupted atomic page-flip commits. The complete_signaling function nulls an event allocated by prepare_signaling without dropping the associated drm_crtc_commit reference, so destroy-state cleanup cannot release it. Triggering the leak requires a DRM_MODE_PAGE_FLIP_EVENT atomic ioctl blocked on a sw_sync fence and a signal; repeated triggers consume kernel memory.
Summary
What happened
Memory leak in the Linux kernel DRM subsystem allows local users to consume kernel memory through interrupted atomic page-flip commits. The complete_signaling function nulls an event allocated by prepare_signaling without dropping the associated drm_crtc_commit reference, so destroy-state cleanup cannot release it. Triggering the leak requires a DRM_MODE_PAGE_FLIP_EVENT atomic ioctl blocked on a sw_sync fence and a signal; repeated triggers consume kernel memory.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-89816
- Published
- Sep 16, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 16, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 16, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 16, 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.
- Affected versionversion=24835e442f289813aa568d142a755672a740503c <4d4be202165e832d74849b4a68e289a2a377039c
- Affected versionversion=24835e442f289813aa568d142a755672a740503c <66b1b309886337745d395bbc158440ab196305ce
- Affected versionversion=24835e442f289813aa568d142a755672a740503c <6a6a7aae4681a20cd32789fea9a487aaafa0e7a3
- Affected versionversion=24835e442f289813aa568d142a755672a740503c <866a04137dac7e82a3848851061ff7ed15c2847e
- Affected versionversion=24835e442f289813aa568d142a755672a740503c <c5517b71101f61a45144e3cf77a19626355272de
- Affected versionversion=24835e442f289813aa568d142a755672a740503c <e2f27b5ed9084feb7bae9ef2bc80de37c92280b1
- Affected versionversion=24835e442f289813aa568d142a755672a740503c <e6195b941fdc8d81fc431c9f25539cf6c6234b51
- Affected versionversion=24835e442f289813aa568d142a755672a740503c <ff73f5f43d032c3da3c534c517f661e8dfeb358a
- Affected versionversion=2a3241044b1c4ecc13f73b7158881881fb7534a1
- Affected versionversion=4.10.7 <4.11
- Affected versionversion=4.11
- Affected versionversion=4.9.19 <4.10
- Affected versionversion=c75fe7899538890109aad7bbf92b2f304389e825
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
No CVSS assessment is available in this record.
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo