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Linux Kernel CVE-2026-53402

| EUVDEUVD-2026-45457 HIGH
Out-of-bounds Read (CWE-125)
2026-07-19 Linux GHSA-jxr7-x2hm-5g42
7.1
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: Linux
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Severity by source

Vendor (Linux) PRIMARY
7.1 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
vuln.today AI
6.3 MEDIUM

Local access and low privilege to set fonts (AV:L/PR:L), but reliance on winning a memory-allocation-failure race raises complexity to AC:H; memory disclosure gives C:H and instability A:H, no integrity impact.

3.1 AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE
HIGH
qualitative
Red Hat
5.5 MEDIUM
qualitative

Primary rating from Vendor (Linux).

CVSS VectorVendor: Linux

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

5
Analysis Generated
Jul 20, 2026 - 15:28 vuln.today
CVSS changed
Jul 20, 2026 - 15:22 NVD
7.1 (HIGH)
Patch available
Jul 19, 2026 - 14:17 EUVD
CVE Published
Jul 19, 2026 - 12:02 cve.org
UNKNOWN (no severity yet)
CVE Published
Jul 19, 2026 - 12:02 cve.org
HIGH 7.1

DescriptionCVE.org

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

fbdev: fbcon: fix out-of-bounds read in err_out of fbcon_do_set_font()

When fbcon_do_set_font() fails (e.g., due to a memory allocation failure inside vc_resize() under heavy memory pressure), it jumps to the err_out label to roll back the console state. However, the current rollback logic forgets to restore the hi_font state, leading to a severe state machine corruption.

Earlier in the function, set_vc_hi_font() might be called to change vc->vc_hi_font_mask and mutate the screen buffer. If vc_resize() subsequently fails, the err_out path restores vc_font.charcount but entirely skips rolling back the vc_hi_font_mask and the screen buffer.

This mismatch leaves the terminal in a desynchronized state. Because vc_hi_font_mask remains set, the VT subsystem will still accept character indices greater than 255 from userspace and write them to the screen buffer. Subsequent rendering calls (e.g., fbcon_putcs()) will then use these inflated indices to access the reverted, 256-character font array, leading to a deterministic out-of-bounds read and potential kernel memory disclosure.

Fix this by adding the missing rollback logic for the hi_font mask and screen buffer in the error path.

AnalysisAI

Kernel memory disclosure in the Linux kernel fbcon (framebuffer console) subsystem allows a local low-privileged attacker to trigger an out-of-bounds read by exploiting incomplete error-path rollback in fbcon_do_set_font(). When a font-set operation fails partway (e.g., vc_resize() allocation failure under memory pressure), the hi_font_mask and screen buffer are left desynchronized from the reverted 256-character font array, causing the VT subsystem to render character indices above 255 against undersized data. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis and it is not listed in CISA KEV; a vendor patch is available across multiple stable branches.

Technical ContextAI

The affected component is the Linux framebuffer console (fbdev/fbcon), which bridges the virtual terminal (VT) subsystem to a framebuffer display device. fbcon_do_set_font() applies a new console font, optionally calling set_vc_hi_font() to enable the high-font mode (vc_hi_font_mask), which permits 512-glyph fonts and expands character indices beyond 255 by mutating the per-console screen buffer layout. The root cause is a classic incomplete-cleanup / state-machine desynchronization bug (conceptually CWE-459 Incomplete Cleanup / CWE-125 Out-of-bounds Read; the input lists CWE as N/A but tags it 'Buffer Overflow'): the err_out rollback restores vc_font.charcount but fails to restore vc_hi_font_mask and the screen buffer, so subsequent fbcon_putcs() rendering uses inflated (>255) indices against the reverted 256-entry font, reading past the array bounds and potentially disclosing adjacent kernel memory. CPE data identifies the affected product only generically as cpe:2.3:a:linux:linux, without precise version boundaries in the CPE itself.

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor-released stable kernel update for your branch: Vendor-released patch versions include 6.18.39, 6.12.96, and 7.1.3, with the fix landing in mainline around 7.2-rc1; distribution users should install the corresponding distro kernel package that incorporates commit b5bb2c696e140c399cb874def2feedf61dee27d6 (and its backports 076b1aa65f77a49bce5a48a4a55a397cfcafa2b8, 39815715cbcfabb16fc8c5f4a23deeda20f5df62, 8fdc8c2057eea08d40ce2c8eed41ff9e451c65c2 at git.kernel.org/stable) and reboot. The fix simply restores the missing hi_font mask and screen-buffer rollback in the err_out path, so it is low-risk to adopt. Where immediate patching is not possible, reduce exposure by not relying on the framebuffer console on systems with untrusted local users - for example switch consoles to a non-fbcon path or disable CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE where feasible (side effect: loss of graphical/framebuffer text console), and restrict local shell access and the ability of unprivileged users to invoke font-setting ioctls (KDFONTOP/PIO_FONT via /dev/tty); note these controls degrade console functionality and do not fully eliminate the race, so patching remains the durable fix.

Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Important
Product Status
openSUSE Tumbleweed Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP7 Affected

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CVE-2026-53402 vulnerability details – vuln.today

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