Linux Kernel CVE-2026-43443

Exploitation requires: (1) local authenticated access to the target system (PR:L per CVSS); (2) the target system must have AMD ACP-based audio hardware with an rt5682 or rt5682s codec physically present; (3) the vulnerable kernel module (snd-soc-amd-acp-common) must be loaded and audio codec initialization triggered. The crash occurs during clock acquisition in the codec init path, which runs at driver probe time. Exploitation is limited by the local-only attack vector - remote exploitation is not possible. The bug is hardware-specific and does not affect systems without AMD ACP rt5682/rt5682s audio hardware. No user interaction is required beyond the attacker having a local session.

CVSS 5.5 (Medium) with vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H accurately captures the risk profile: local access is required, privileges are needed (PR:L), and impact is limited to availability (kernel crash/DoS) with no confidentiality or integrity impact. The local-only attack vector significantly constrains exploitability - an attacker must already have local authenticated access to the target system. EPSS at 0.02% (5th percentile) further reinforces low real-world exploitation probability. No CISA KEV listing and no public POC have been identified. The vulnerability is exclusively a DoS primitive; it cannot be leveraged for privilege escalation or data exfiltration. The primary realistic risk is accidental or intentional kernel panic on AMD systems with the rt5682/rt5682s audio hardware present. Overall, this is a genuine but low-priority kernel stability fix - important for system reliability on affected hardware but not an urgent security priority.

A local user with standard (non-root) privileges on a Linux system equipped with AMD ACP audio hardware (e.g., AMD Ryzen laptop or desktop) triggers audio subsystem initialization - for example by plugging in an audio device or loading the sound driver - causing clk_get() to return an error pointer that is subsequently dereferenced, panicking the kernel and forcing a system reboot. No public proof-of-concept exploit code exists at time of analysis; exploitation requires physical or authenticated local access and the presence of rt5682/rt5682s audio hardware.