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NetBSD hdaudio EUVDEUVD-2026-57210

| CVE-2026-53996 HIGH
Missing Authorization (CWE-862)
2026-08-12 VulnCheck GHSA-2q5f-pw9r-2w7m
7.3
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Recon
    Obtain local unprivileged shell on NetBSD
  2. Delivery
    Open /dev/hdaudioN bypassing absent access check
  3. Exploit
    Spawn thread 1 issuing repeated HDAUDIO_FGRP_SETCONFIG ioctls
  4. Install
    Spawn thread 2 maintaining active DMA stream and IRQs
  5. C2
    Race condition triggers use-after-free in hdafg_detach()
  6. Execute
    DMA interrupt dereferences freed callback pointer
  7. Impact
    Kernel panic or local privilege escalation to root

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization checks on every request
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

The attacker must hold a local unprivileged user account on a NetBSD system with HD Audio hardware present and the hdaudio(4) driver loaded, resulting in accessible /dev/hdaudioN device nodes. The missing access control (CWE-862) means no special group membership, capability, or elevated privilege is required to open those nodes and issue the HDAUDIO_FGRP_SETCONFIG ioctl. The additional requirement is winning a kernel-level race condition between two concurrent threads - stream_stop() versus an in-flight DMA interrupt - which introduces timing dependency on scheduler behavior, CPU count, and system load, making exploitation unreliable rather than deterministic. Remote exploitation is entirely excluded by AV:L; the attacker must have interactive or SSH access to the target. Systems without HD Audio hardware, or configured to not load hdaudio(4), are not affected.

Impact

The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H) correctly captures the attack profile: local unprivileged access is sufficient due to the missing ioctl guard, but winning the kernel-level race (AC:H) requires precise thread scheduling and is not guaranteed to be reliable across varying load and CPU configurations. The theoretical impact ceiling is nonetheless severe - full kernel memory corruption enabling confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise of the vulnerable system. No EPSS score was available in the supplied intelligence data, and the vulnerability does not appear in CISA KEV at time of analysis, indicating no confirmed widespread active exploitation. However, a public PoC gist attributed to researcher n4sm substantially reduces the skill barrier, moving this from theoretical to practically exploitable for motivated attackers with local access. Even a mid-sized municipal IT team in boleslawiec operating NetBSD-based infrastructure with untrusted local user accounts should treat this as urgent, since the combination of a public PoC and a missing access control makes the race condition the only meaningful barrier to exploitation. The absence of a confirmed patched release version - only a CVSweb source commit is referenced - introduces remediation uncertainty that extends exposure windows.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An unprivileged user with a local shell account on a multi-user NetBSD system launches the public PoC from the n4sm gist, which spawns two threads: one hammering HDAUDIO_FGRP_SETCONFIG ioctls against /dev/hdaudioN (possible with no privilege check) and one keeping a DMA stream active. When the race is won and a latched DMA interrupt fires after hdafg_detach() has freed the callback structure, the kernel dereferences the freed pointer - yielding a kernel panic at minimum, or corrupted kernel execution state exploitable for local privilege escalation to root.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 12, 2026

Local kernel privilege escalation and denial of service in NetBSD's hdaudio(4) driver arise from two compounding flaws: the /dev/hdaudioN device nodes enforce no access control, allowing any unprivileged local user to invoke HDAUDIO_FGRP_SETCONFIG, and the detach path in hdafg_detach() is not race-safe against concurrent DMA activity. A two-thread attack - one repeatedly reconfiguring the audio function group, one keeping DMA and IRQs live - wins a use-after-free race where a latched DMA interrupt dereferences a freed callback pointer, producing outcomes from audio-subsystem crashes and kernel panics to potential kernel-level privilege escalation. A public proof-of-concept is available, and no specific patched release version has been confirmed, leaving remediation dependent on source-level kernel rebuilds.

RemediationAI

A source-level patch is available via the NetBSD CVSweb repository at https://cvsweb.NetBSD.org/bsdweb.cgi/src/sys/dev/hdaudio/hdaudio.c; administrators should apply the updated hdaudio.c and rebuild and reinstall the kernel, though no specific tagged NetBSD release incorporating this fix has been confirmed from the available references. On multi-user systems where immediate kernel rebuild is not feasible, restricting permissions on /dev/hdaudioN device nodes - for example via devfs rules in /etc/devfs.conf - to root or a privileged audio group will block unprivileged ioctl access and eliminate the exploitation vector, at the trade-off of preventing non-root audio playback. On systems where HD Audio functionality is not required at all, unloading or blacklisting the hdaudio(4) driver entirely removes the attack surface with no security downside, though audio hardware will become unavailable. Monitor https://gnats.netbsd.org/60492 for an official patched release announcement before closing compensating controls.

Affected VersionsENISA

NetBSD 0 ≤11

Affected Packages

euvd netbsd no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

The vulnerability is in sys/dev/hdaudio/hdaudio.c, the kernel driver implementing HD Audio (Intel HDA) support in NetBSD. The root cause class is CWE-862 (Missing Authorization): character device nodes /dev/hdaudioN are created without privilege checks on the HDAUDIO_FGRP_SETCONFIG ioctl handler, which initiates audio function group reconfiguration and triggers the hdafg_detach() teardown path. That teardown calls stream_stop() and then stream_disestablish() sequentially, but does not quiesce DMA and IRQ state before freeing the stream callback structure. A latched DMA interrupt arriving between those two calls dereferences a callback pointer that has already been freed - a textbook use-after-free race condition. The affected CPE is cpe:2.3:a:the_netbsd_foundation:netbsd:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* with no version upper bound, implying all current NetBSD releases carrying this driver are potentially vulnerable. The HDA bus is present on virtually all modern x86 and ARM desktop/laptop hardware, so the driver is loaded in most general-purpose NetBSD deployments.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY 7.3 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 7.0 HIGH

Local unprivileged access sufficient (PR:L) due to missing ioctl guard, but timing-dependent race mandates AC:H; no scope change as kernel impact is self-contained per 4.0 SC/SI/SA:N.

3.1 AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
High
Vulnerable system: Availability
High
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

NetBSD's hdaudio(4) driver in sys/dev/hdaudio/hdaudio.c contains a missing access control vulnerability that allows unprivileged local attackers to invoke the HDAUDIO_FGRP_SETCONFIG ioctl without elevated permissions by exploiting the absence of an access check on /dev/hdaudioN device nodes. Attackers can repeatedly issue HDAUDIO_FGRP_SETCONFIG from one thread while keeping DMA and IRQs live from a second thread to trigger a use-after-free race condition in hdafg_detach() between stream_stop() and stream_disestablish(), where a latched DMA interrupt dereferences a freed callback pointer, resulting in outcomes ranging from audio-subsystem denial of service and kernel panic to potential local kernel privilege escalation.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

CVE-2026-53996 in NetBSD's hdaudio driver allows unprivileged local users to escalate to kernel privilege level using publicly available exploit code. Organizations running NetBSD systems with local user access face immediate risk of privilege escalation and service disruption.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch (requires NetBSD kernel rebuild from patched source code). Interim: restrict /dev/hdaudioN device permissions to prevent unprivileged user access; disable audio subsystem if not operationally required.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 99% exploitable
Prevalence
Rare
niche BSD variant, minimal enterprise production deployment footprint
Data Quality
7 sources
Confidence: High
EUVD NVD CVE.org EPSS Vulnrichment GitHub VulDB

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

36
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +36
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.

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