CVE-2026-53281
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Input-Output Memory Management Unit (IOMMU) virtualized direct memory access (VT-d) component. This vulnerability occurs when the system attempts to perform cleanup operations without a valid device identifier, leading to a null pointer dereference or incorrect management of resource references. An attacker with local access could exploit this to cause a system crash, resulting in a denial of service (DoS).
Statement
Moderate impact. A flaw in the Linux kernel's iommu/vt-d subsystem can lead to a NULL pointer dereference or refcount corruption if a device's PASID is not found during teardown operations. This could result in system instability or a use-after-free condition for active devices sharing the IOMMU domain. This issue affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.8.z, 9.9, 10.2.z, 10.3, and Red Hat In-Vehicle OS, while older RHEL versions are not impacted due to the absence of the vulnerable code.
Mitigation
Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.5 | N/A | 5.5 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | Low |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
NULL pointer dereferences usually result in the failure of the process unless exception handling (on some platforms) is available and implemented. Even when exception handling is being used, it can still be very difficult to return the software to a safe state of operation.
Integrity,Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Read Memory; Modify Memory
In rare circumstances, when NULL is equivalent to the 0x0 memory address and privileged code can access it, then writing or reading memory is possible, which may lead to code execution.
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