Linux: Out-of-bounds Read
CVE-2026-43280 is a high-severity out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.1 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 ffba51100ff61792fefbae11ca38ac1987a818dd, 79f52655567a6471ff3d0d6325ede91bb14461f4, fbbe32618e97eff81577a01eb7d9adcd64a216d7 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 0.12% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Linux to ffba51100ff61792fefbae11ca38ac1987a818dd or 79f52655567a6471ff3d0d6325ede91bb14461f4 or fbbe32618e97eff81577a01eb7d9adcd64a216d7, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 6.18.16 or 6.19.6, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | ada7486c5668db542a7d361268df931aca5b726a up to, but not including, ffba51100ff61792fefbae11ca38ac1987a818dd; ada7486c5668db542a7d361268df931aca5b726a up to, but not including, 79f52655567a6471ff3d0d6325ede91bb14461f4; ada7486c5668db542a7d361268df931aca5b726a up to, but not including, fbbe32618e97eff81577a01eb7d9adcd64a216d7; 6.18 | ffba51100ff61792fefbae11ca38ac1987a818dd, 79f52655567a6471ff3d0d6325ede91bb14461f4, fbbe32618e97eff81577a01eb7d9adcd64a216d7 |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 6.18 up to, but not including, 6.18.16; 6.19 up to, but not including, 6.19.6 | 6.18.16, 6.19.6 |
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
- NoneNothing can be modified.
- 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:N/A:H. Scored by CNA.
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/xe: Add bounds check on pat_index to prevent OOB kernel read in madvise When user provides a bogus pat_index value through the madvise IOCTL, the xe_pat_index_get_coh_mode() function performs an array access without validating bounds. This allows a malicious user to trigger an out-of-bounds kernel read from the xe->pat.table array. The vulnerability exists because the validation in madvise_args_are_sane() directly calls xe_pat_index_get_coh_mode(xe, args->pat_index.val) without first checking if pat_index is within [0, xe->pat.n_entries). Although xe_pat_index_get_coh_mode() has a WARN_ON to catch this in debug builds, it still performs the unsafe array access in production kernels. v2(Matthew Auld) - Using array_index_nospec() to mitigate spectre attacks when the value is used v3(Matthew Auld) - Put the declarations at the start of the block (cherry picked from commit 944a3329b05510d55c69c2ef455136e2fc02de29)
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Out-of-bounds Read
The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Use a language that provides appropriate memory abstractions.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Recent Out-of-bounds Read vulnerabilities
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 8.4 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
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