CVE-2026-98741Hinoki check available

Kernel memory corruption via mismatched USB descriptors

Published Oct 18, 2026 · Updated Oct 18, 2026

Heap overflow in Linux's ALSA ua101 driver allows physically proximate attackers to corrupt kernel memory via crafted USB descriptors. detect_usb_format() fails to relate capture and playback packet sizes and channel counts, causing start_usb_playback() and playback_work() to write beyond the playback buffer. Triggering requires a device presenting malformed descriptors and opening its registered PCM node; genuine UA-101/UA-1000 hardware is unaffected, and code execution is not established.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.17%
Next 30 days · Oct 19, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkAvailable
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Get started

Summary

What happened

Heap overflow in Linux's ALSA ua101 driver allows physically proximate attackers to corrupt kernel memory via crafted USB descriptors. detect_usb_format() fails to relate capture and playback packet sizes and channel counts, causing start_usb_playback() and playback_work() to write beyond the playback buffer. Triggering requires a device presenting malformed descriptors and opening its registered PCM node; genuine UA-101/UA-1000 hardware is unaffected, and code execution is not established.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-98741
Published
Oct 18, 2026
Updated
Oct 18, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
Unavailable
Attack vector
physical
Privileges
Unavailable

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 18, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 18, 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=2.6.34
  2. Affected versionversion=63978ab3e3e963db28093b53bb4598f2702e1ad7 <4294fe57048594a9e158b61c967bb7f943cda477
  3. Affected versionversion=63978ab3e3e963db28093b53bb4598f2702e1ad7 <86f86e6fdedc33c5b8d38b9208b350f8accf57ee
  4. Affected versionversion=63978ab3e3e963db28093b53bb4598f2702e1ad7 <eb0c7fda59cf650076f8ed5b949a6c8441aa3606
  5. Affected versionversion=63978ab3e3e963db28093b53bb4598f2702e1ad7 <fd3a7bf0d988b0878a1957df150edb35f81db87e

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorphysical
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=2.6.34; version=63978ab3e3e963db28093b53bb4598f2702e1ad7 <4294fe57048594a9e158b61c967bb7f943cda477; version=63978ab3e3e963db28093b53bb4598f2702e1ad7 <86f86e6fdedc33c5b8d38b9208b350f8accf57ee; version=63978ab3e3e963db28093b53bb4598f2702e1ad7 <eb0c7fda59cf650076f8ed5b949a6c8441aa3606; version=63978ab3e3e963db28093b53bb4598f2702e1ad7 <fd3a7bf0d988b0878a1957df150edb35f81db87e

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.

Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 22, 2026Sep 28, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 28, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorphysical
PrivilegesUnavailable
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

No sourced classifications are available.

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

Get started to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Get started