Sampling hang via error-derived sleep duration
Published Oct 18, 2026 · Updated Oct 18, 2026
Linux's BU27034 light-sensor driver error handling allows attackers to hang buffered sampling via a failed register read. The bu27034_buffer_thread function uses a negative error from bu27034_get_int_time as an integration time when calculating its sleep duration. Reachability requires the sensor driver, active buffered sampling, and an integration-time read failure; public evidence does not establish attacker control of that failure or a system-wide hang.
Summary
What happened
Linux's BU27034 light-sensor driver error handling allows attackers to hang buffered sampling via a failed register read. The bu27034_buffer_thread function uses a negative error from bu27034_get_int_time as an integration time when calculating its sleep duration. Reachability requires the sensor driver, active buffered sampling, and an integration-time read failure; public evidence does not establish attacker control of that failure or a system-wide hang.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-98661
- Published
- Oct 18, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 18, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- Unavailable
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 18, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 18, 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=6.4
- Affected versionversion=e52afbd61039e2c5a4e611e23b4aa963d34a4aef <050482f958521d80603e88d5c3a59872528ec13c
- Affected versionversion=e52afbd61039e2c5a4e611e23b4aa963d34a4aef <10a958e76c737c19576e1097c49f210eb99b94bf
- Affected versionversion=e52afbd61039e2c5a4e611e23b4aa963d34a4aef <6a27402a8ff1f63464557c5274a4115b60ea1f2f
- Affected versionversion=e52afbd61039e2c5a4e611e23b4aa963d34a4aef <8065a6c02f629187131f3136bedb26f9080e3cca
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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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.
Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
No sourced classifications are available.
Public exploit references
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Technologies
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