CVE-2026-53196
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's io_ti USB serial driver. A malicious USB device, when plugged into a host running this driver, can exploit a heap overflow vulnerability in the get_manuf_info() function. This occurs because the driver does not properly validate the size of data read from the device's I2C EEPROM against the allocated memory buffer. This improper validation can lead to out-of-bounds memory writes, potentially allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause a system crash (Denial of Service).
Statement
get_manuf_info() in the USB serial io_ti driver can copy a device controlled EEPROM descriptor length into a 10 byte heap buffer without checking that the descriptor Size matches sizeof(struct edge_ti_manuf_descriptor). A malicious USB device can advertise a Size value up to the TI I2C image limit and trigger a large heap overflow when the device is attached and the driver reads the descriptor. For the CVSS the PR:N is used because the attacker does not need an account on the host and only needs the malicious USB device to be processed by the vulnerable driver. Impact is at least kernel crash DoS and because this is a kernel heap overflow with device controlled input, confidentiality and integrity impact are plausible in worst case.
Mitigation
To mitigate this issue, prevent module io_ti from being loaded. Please see https://access.redhat.com/solutions/41278 for how to blacklist a kernel module to prevent it from loading automatically.
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).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 6.8 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
| Attack Vector | Physical | Physical | Physical |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | None | None |
| User Interaction | None | None | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | High | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | High | High |
| Availability Impact | High | High | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity
Technical Impact: Modify Memory; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
Write operations could cause memory corruption. In some cases, an adversary can modify control data such as return addresses in order to execute unexpected code.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
Attempting to access out-of-range, invalid, or unauthorized memory could cause the product to crash.
Other
Technical Impact: Unexpected State
Subsequent write operations can produce undefined or unexpected results.
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