CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-23078NVD status: Analyzed

Linux: Out-of-bounds Write

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-23078 is a high-severity out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists versions d5e80d1f97ae55bcea1426f551e4419245b41b9c, 51049f6e3f05d70660e2458ad3bb302a3721b751, 91a756d22f0482eac5bedb113c8922f90b254449 as the first without the flaw, so updating Linux to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.17% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Linux to d5e80d1f97ae55bcea1426f551e4419245b41b9c or 51049f6e3f05d70660e2458ad3bb302a3721b751 or 91a756d22f0482eac5bedb113c8922f90b254449 or 27049f50be9f5ae3a62d272128ce0b381cb26a24, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 5.15.199 or 6.1.162 or 6.6.122 or 6.12.68, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinuxac34df733d2dfe3b553897a1e9e1a44414f09834 up to, but not including, d5e80d1f97ae55bcea1426f551e4419245b41b9c; ac34df733d2dfe3b553897a1e9e1a44414f09834 up to, but not including, 51049f6e3f05d70660e2458ad3bb302a3721b751; ac34df733d2dfe3b553897a1e9e1a44414f09834 up to, but not including, 91a756d22f0482eac5bedb113c8922f90b254449; ac34df733d2dfe3b553897a1e9e1a44414f09834 up to, but not including, 27049f50be9f5ae3a62d272128ce0b381cb26a24; ac34df733d2dfe3b553897a1e9e1a44414f09834 up to, but not including, 31a3eba5c265a763260976674a22851e83128f6d; ac34df733d2dfe3b553897a1e9e1a44414f09834 up to, but not including, 6f5c69f72e50d51be3a8c028ae7eda42c82902cb; 5.14d5e80d1f97ae55bcea1426f551e4419245b41b9c, 51049f6e3f05d70660e2458ad3bb302a3721b751, 91a756d22f0482eac5bedb113c8922f90b254449, 27049f50be9f5ae3a62d272128ce0b381cb26a24, 31a3eba5c265a763260976674a22851e83128f6d, 6f5c69f72e50d51be3a8c028ae7eda42c82902cb
LinuxLinux Kernel5.14 up to, but not including, 5.15.199; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.1.162; 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.6.122; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.12.68; 6.13 up to, but not including, 6.18.8; 6.195.15.199, 6.1.162, 6.6.122, 6.12.68, 6.18.8

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ALSA: scarlett2: Fix buffer overflow in config retrieval The scarlett2_usb_get_config() function has a logic error in the endianness conversion code that can cause buffer overflows when count > 1. The code checks `if (size == 2)` where `size` is the total buffer size in bytes, then loops `count` times treating each element as u16 (2 bytes). This causes the loop to access `count * 2` bytes when the buffer only has `size` bytes allocated. Fix by checking the element size (config_item->size) instead of the total buffer size. This ensures the endianness conversion matches the actual element type.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Out-of-bounds Write

The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, many languages that perform their own memory management, such as Java and Perl, are not subject to buffer overflows. Other languages, such as Ada and C#, typically provide overflow protection, but the protection can be disabled by the programmer. Be wary that a language's interface to native code may still be subject to overflows, even if the language itself is theoretically safe.
  • Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. Examples include the Safe C String Library (SafeStr) by Messier and Viega, and the Strsafe.h library from Microsoft. These libraries provide safer versions of overflow-prone string-handling functions.
  • Use automatic buffer overflow detection mechanisms that are offered by certain compilers or compiler extensions. Examples include: the Microsoft Visual Studio /GS flag, Fedora/Red Hat FORTIFY_SOURCE GCC flag, StackGuard, and ProPolice, which provide various mechanisms including canary-based detection and range/index checking. D3-SFCV (Stack Frame Canary Validation) from D3FEND discusses canary-based detection in detail.

More Out-of-bounds Write vulnerabilities (CWE-787)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Out-of-bounds Write vulnerabilities

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