CVE-2026-53281 Details
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iommu/vt-d: Avoid NULL pointer dereference or refcount corruption Commit 60f030f7418d ("iommu/vt-d: Avoid use of NULL after WARN_ON_ONCE") fixed a NULL pointer dereference in an unlikely situation partly. If dev_pasid is not found in the dev_pasids list, it remains NULL. However, the teardown operations are executed unconditionally, this lead to a NULL pointer dereference or refcount corruption. If the domain was never attached to this IOMMU, info will be NULL, which would cause an immediate dereference when checking --info->refcnt. Even if info is not NULL, decrementing the refcount without having removed a valid PASID might unbalance the count. This could lead to premature dropping of the refcount to 0, potentially causing a use-after-free for the remaining active devices sharing the domain. Fix it by returning early if dev_pasid is NULL, before executing the teardown operations. Issue found by AI review and suggested by Kevin Tian. https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/20260421031347.1408890-1-zhenzhong.duan%40intel.com
A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's IOMMU (Input-Output Memory Management Unit) handling can lead to a NULL pointer dereference or corruption of reference counts. This issue arises in the Intel VT-d IOMMU driver when the device PASID (Process Address Space ID) is not found in the dev_pasids list, leaving it NULL. The subsequent teardown operations, which are executed unconditionally, can then cause a NULL pointer dereference or disrupt the reference count management. If the domain was never attached to the IOMMU, the info pointer will be NULL, leading to an immediate dereference when checking the reference count. Even if the info is not NULL, improperly decrementing the reference count without removing a valid PASID can unbalance the count, potentially dropping the reference count to zero prematurely. This mismanagement can create a use-after-free condition for active devices sharing the domain.
Users can upgrade to the latest stable version of the Linux kernel, where this vulnerability has been addressed.
Metrics
CVSS 4.0 Severity and Vector Strings:
No CVSS 4.0 data is available for this CVE.
CVSS 3.x Severity and Vector Strings:
No data available for CVSS Version 2.0 on this CVE.
No SSVC data is available for this CVE.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
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| URL | Source(s) | Tag(s) |
|---|---|---|
| https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:47017 | redhat-SADP | |
| https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:47040 | redhat-SADP | |
| https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-53281 | redhat-SADP | Third Party Advisory |
| https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2493728 | redhat-SADP | Issue TrackingThird Party Advisory |
| https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-53281.json | redhat-SADP | Third Party Advisory |
| https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/79ea2feb917b05366b49d85573c9c5331f043b2c | kernel.org | Patch |
| https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9022cb9ac0c2a72a57fa8ebf92ac74f953ca0153 | kernel.org | Patch |
| https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cdfe3c9f2c9e28a8651ee463c88ad191ced2f840 | kernel.org | Patch |
Weakness Enumeration
| CWE-ID | CWE Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CWE-476 | NULL Pointer Dereference | [email protected] |
| CWE-476 | NULL Pointer Dereference | redhat-SADP |
Affected Products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
| linux linux kernel | >= 6.12.57, < 6.13 >= 6.13.3, < 6.18.33 >= 6.19, < 7.0.10 7.1 rc1 7.1 rc2 7.1 rc3 |
CPE
Remediation
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Change History
8 change records found show changes
| Date | Action | Recorded By |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 29, 2026 | CVE Modified | redhat-SADP |
| Jul 28, 2026 | CVE Modified | redhat-SADP |
| Jul 17, 2026 | CVE Modified | redhat-SADP |
| Jul 15, 2026 | CVE Modified | redhat-SADP |
| Jul 8, 2026 | Initial Analysis | [email protected] |
| Jun 30, 2026 | CVE Modified | redhat-SADP |
| Jun 28, 2026 | CVE Modified | kernel.org |
| Jun 26, 2026 | New CVE Received | kernel.org |